Each Day Is a Gift

6 with Wendy and Zeus on MCT west all the way to freeway.  Saw the trail signs showing 1.9 miles west to JRP.  Wow!  We have so many parkways and trails to run around here...SO NICE! :)  Perffect running weather, low 60s, calm, sunny blue sky.

Trim, prune, cut some of the bushes in front of the house.  Boy, my arms are going to be sore! :)

Quick 3 with Wendy to Smith's and back.

The moving company guys said they would deliver our Australia shipment between 8:30-9:30.  By 10am, they hadn't come and I had to take hubby to dialysis so Wendy came over to wait for these guys.  I rushed back home after dropping hubby off and waited for the moving guys till 11:30, called the company who told me they would be there soon.  Well, they didn't come until 1:30!!!  And I had to go back to South Jordan to pick up hubby at 2!   Patience is really a virtue...I need to learn it quick! :)

6.5 solo run.  MCT west to 1600 W bathroom/fountain for drink, turned back east to 1200 E drinking fountain where I met and visited with someone who just had back surgery and walking with his dog.  Nice chat. 

Thoughts while running ~

1) Focus on running form: cadence and driving elbows back!

2) My running has come full circle.  When I started running in 2005, my goals then was to loose weight and become healthy so I could take care of my hubby whose life was spared after emergency MVR and AVR and post-op complication of cardiac tempanade in 2004.  Running has given me so much more than better health.  Over the years, I've met many wonderful friends in the running community who have blessed and enriched my life.  Last year I put running on hold to serve a mission with my hubby in what I thought would be 3 years.  As things turned out, exactly 10 years later, hubby again had another near-death medical crisis which ended our mission abruptly.  Now my return to running takes on similar goals as in 2005: to become physically, emotionally healthy so that I can help my hubby regain better health physically, emotionally and spiritually.  I don't know what lies ahead; but I do know each day, each run is a gift...I gratefully treasure!!!! :)

3) I have the BEST friends and neighbors, and MOST wonderful family...I am the luckiest woman!!! :) :) :)

4 with Wendy and Zeus! :)

10 by my lonesome.  Beautiful day!  Sunny blue sky.  Snow caped mountains!  Oh how I love our Utah mountains!  East to MCT access at tunnel behind Smiths, down Dry Creek, walked up Dry Creek to Highland side, drinking fountain there is not working.  Continued east for another mile or so and that drinking fountain works, a runner coming from opposite direction announced that the water was warm; that's better than not working! :)  Contined east and stopped at the fountain at the soccer park.  It was exactly 4 miles to the Highland Hwy tunnel.  Got out and ran north on the road to connect back on the MCT at turn off to Highland Glen Park.  Encountered lots of cyclists.  Decided to turn around at 4.5 thinking I'd run 9.  It was getting warm, should've started the run earlier.  When I reached the tunnel behind Smiths, I decided to continue east on MCT to the drinking fountain (~1000East) and cut off on Love Lane access to 600 E to home adding an extra mile.  I won't dwell on how slow I am running these days...but savor the fact that I CAN get out and put one foot in front of the other! :)

Thoughts for the day:  "Happiness in life is a decision!  Gratitue is a catalyst to all Christ-like atttributes!"

Wanted to run 3 this morning!  Texted Wendy and Karen who's back from Girls Camp thinking she'd be ready to run.  Nope, Karen slept in and wanted to bike with her hubby instead.  Wendy tried to protect me from injury and told me to take a rest day but she'd WALK with me!  So we walked for at least 4 miles meandering all over the hood and MCT.  When Karen and Mark caught up to us on their bikes,  I ran along side them for about 0.5 mile.  :)  Yep, Wendy is right, my legs are tired, my back hurts!  I'm really feeling my age! :)

Hubby drove himself to dialysis for the first time, freeing me up to do what needed done at home.  YAY!!!!  :)  Spent the rest of the day working in the yard, trimming shrubs, loping off branches.  With the help of kind Arnie and his son, Matt, we removed four overgrown bushes/shrubs.  My arms and back are so sore!  Did 5 baskets full of towels and beddings...still have 3 more to go.  Lots of house cleaning to do.  Fixed the vaccuum.  Unpacked 3 boxes of our shipment.  Picked up Rx for hubby and shopped for food after dinner!  Went to bed at midnight...happily exhausted! :)  So glad tomorrow is Sabbath, ahhh REST!  :)

5 with Karen, Leslie and Wendy. 

5 with Wendy.

Met Karen and Leslie at their street, ran down 3rd West to 2100 N, west to rail trail, north to MCT, drank at 1300 W fountain.  Had a hard time breathing, lotsa coughing and spitting up mucus, silly asthma.  Very kind of Karen and Leslie to walk the uphill with me! 

Ran with Wendy and Olga to Kneaders for breakfast.  We were supposed to run back but we just walked and talked instead.  It was so fun to meet Olga's new baby (well, he's 9 mos).  He is adorable. 

0.5 by myself to meet the ladies.  5.5 with Karen, Leslie and Wendy.  4 by my lonesome.  They only wanted to run 5-6 miles.  I need to do "longer run" today because tomorrow I am going down to Provo to cheer my friends at UVM!  :)

I need to have a better running/eating plan.  Every morning, I run without any breakfast, only drink water.  Today's 10 miler took 1:43 (AP of 10:21) with lots of water stops.  I get out of breath running any incline and so have to walk on the uphill.  I feel like a newbie.  It's been a month now since I return to running.  I have not lost any weight.  I was hoping to loose 2 pounds a month.  I desperately need to buy some new socks and get my Garmin fixed. 
 

FUN day spectating and cheering at UVM.  So proud of all our friends, Rachelle, Josse, Chad, my nephew, Alex (his first marathon), and LOWELL who smashed his BQ goal (4:25)!!!!  He ran 4:09:12,  easily WON his divison!!!!  :) :) :) :) :) :) It was a tough day out there with some strong headwind, RUNNERS ARE AWESOME!!!! :)

Week 4/18 to SGM

6 solo miles out and back on MCT to 1600 west.  Temp was in the high 50s, cloudy sky, slight breeze, PERFECT running weather!!!  Ate banana, water.

Lowell's UVM's time of 4:09 at nearly age 73 inspires me!!!  I know I am in no shape to run that fast.  I just wanted to see if I could run a 10mm pace.  Here's how it went today: 

Mile 1 - 10:41 

Mile 2 - 9:54

Mile 3 - 8:55  downhill

Mile 4 - 10:26   uphill  (took a potty break at 3.6)

Mile 5 - 9:36

Mile 6 - 9:11  started to wheeze

TT: 58:47  AP: 9:47 

Conclusion:  My pace was all over the place.  It is going to take some focus and effort to sustain a steady 10mm. 

Plan: 

1.  Add Core ST 3 times a week

2.  No walking on uphill

3.  Focus on form, cadence.

PM:  3 circuits of Pfitz's core stability exercise.  Myrtle.

Very nice of Elder and Sister Haleck to pay us a personal visit!  :)

Cool morning, low 50s, cloudy, breezy, wore long sleeve and capri. 

MCT west to 1300W fountain (2.3 mi.) east to 1000W fountain (4.3 mi.) east to Smith's tunnel (5 mi.) west to Love Ln access (6 mi.) south to home 7 miles.

Splits: 11:20, 10:57, 10:02, 9:44, 9:39, 9:36, 9:21   TT: 1:10:45   AP: 10:06
 

6 on MCT west to fountain, east to fountain, west to Love Ln access, around stake center.  Another cool morning, not as cold as yesterday.

10:45, 10:13, 9:25, 9:28, 9:20, 9:00   TT: 58:14   AP: 9:42

Last night when we came home, we discovered the basement bedrooms were flooded.  Rain water poured down into the window well from the rain gutter above where the down sprout was clotted up.  I climbed in the window well and bailed water out of there and hubby used a wood ramp to cover the window well.  We were soaked and chilled as it was still raining and temerature has dipped down to 41.  I was up til 2am using all the towels and blankets available to soak up the water. 

Met Karen and Leslie at Center St.  We ran east to Smith's tunnel, west to fountain, south through Perry Homes to my house.  My Garmin 305's battery is on the fritz.  It only lasts 45 min even when it's fully charged.  So I borrowed a friend's Garmin 220.  It's SO slim and light with large numbers!  I haven't figured how to do any setting yet.  So it was beeping at me with some sort of alert, perhaps when I ran too slow!  :)

After our run Karen, Leslie and Beth helped me move the bedroom furnitures out so I could pull off the wet carpet and pad and let the fan and portable heater blow them dry.  After they left, I was pulling up the carpet and wondering how I'm going to put everything back togehter.  Then the door bell rang...a friend showed up at the door.  (He didn't have our mobile numbers).  He was god-send.  He got up the roof to clean out the rain gutter and hose down the dirt and debri and de-clog the downsprout.  Then he came back in the afternoon to help me pull back the carpet and put the furnitures back.  So thankful for such wonderful friends! :)

Breakfast was 2 majai (Chinese version of rice krispie squares...greasy and sweet).  We have no banana or yogurt (what I used to eat before long run).  Out the door at 6:30 and texted Karen to let her know I'm on my way to our designated meeting place, Highland Glen Park, and I'll see her in 45 min.  This was to give me a 4 miles head start and she would run 10 with me (5 out-n-back on the MCT). 

The sun hasn't peeked over the mountains yet so it was a bit chilly which is perfect.  Walked part of the uphill climbing out of Dry Creek.  Stopped at mile 3+ drinking fountain.  Got to the Park at 4.65 miles.  (oops! miscalculated the distance)  Leslie and Karen had been waiting for 10 min. They had more confidence in me!  They were so good to go at my snail pace.  I could not for the life of me pick up the pace.  The view overlooking PG, Lindon, Utah Lake was spectacular.  The conversation was great!  I ate a Cliff Bar that I got from Ogden Half race packet at mile 9+.  I had to fight the urge to walk...I had lead legs and iron lungs! :)  When Karen's garmin reached mile 5, we turned around.  She encouraged me to keep going, pointing out that we're running downhill!  Gotta love Big lies! :) My legs were done, we stopped at every drinking fountain except for one.  This is the longest I've run in 12+ months.  I am so out of shape!!!

14.25 miles TT: 2:28:01  AP: 10:29  (10:52, 10:51, 10:35, 10:22, 10:23, 10:01, 9:56, 10:19, 10:31, 10:26, 10:29, 10:33, 10:26, 10:45) 

Eric surprised us with an early morning arrival after their across country drive.  So proud of all that he has accoplished.  So relieved that they made the trip safe and sound with three children, age 5, 2 and 7 mos. in a tiny car after late night packing of all their belongings into a 8x8 pod and cleaned their house late late Wed. night.

First 1.5 by myself, picked up Wendy, Karen and Leslie.  Wendy did 3.  We continued east down and up Dry Creek to soccer park drink at fountain, back through trail by SR 92 to Love Ln. Not sure about pace.  Karen said we were running in the 9's but I did have to walk some on the uphills.  

Fun day with my adorable grandkids Emi, Devin, Alina, and Skylar.  Also visited with their cousins Lucy, Hannah and Adam.  

No running. tending grandkids so their mom and dad can go to the temple. :)

no running.  send Eric off for his long solo drive to Tucson.

6.5 with Wendy.  3.5 by myself after running her home - west to 300 W north onto MCT at Jimmy Johns, east to new 810 E acess, west to 600 E to home.  Very grateful for clouds! :)

TT: 1:42:30  (10:23, 10:21, 10:06, 10:13, 10:28, 11:16, 10:12, 10:13, 9:49, 9:27) 

Ran to Highland Glen Park west parking lot (4.66 miles) to meet Karen and Leslie.  We ran the same route as last Friday but another mile further (about quarter mile past Battle Creek Dr in PG) before turned back so they got 12 miles and I got 16.75 total.  Beautiful morning, starting temp was in the high 50s and finishing temp was probably in the low 60s.  I had to really push it to keep up with them.  My legs could feel the 10 miles from yesterday.  

Drank some gatorade before heading out, water fountain every 2 miles or so, ate a cliff bar (gift from Wendy) at mile 10ish.  

TT: 2:49:49  (11:17, 11:21, 10:18, 10:04, 9:50, 9:48, 9:45, 9:56, 10:00, 10:05, 10:14, 9:50, 10:03, 10:05, 9:49, 10:06, 9:33)  AP: 10:08

4.5 easy recovery run by myself.  Clear blue sky.  Lotsa runners and cyclists out!  

Thinking about doing the Sogo for my 20+ mile training run....???

It was nice to be with all the families at Elder Takasaki's homecoming.  It made me happy to see hubby back in his element sitting on the stand with me, speaking to the wonderful folks and families in Sp. Fork about missionary work (during the combined RS/Priesthood meeting).  I really miss everyone and everything in our mission.  Today marks the one year anniversary of our arrival in Australia to begin our mission on July 1st.  It's a bittersweet day!  

Got up bright and early to pack up the car,  feed the kids and load up for our long drive to Tucson. Marianne's dad made hotel reservation in Henderson, NV.  I drove the entire way with first stop at Beaver for petrol, lunch at Wendy's.  That stop took an hour and 15 min.  Then we stopped again at a rest stop before Cedar City where Marianne nursed the baby.  Thanks to 80mph freeway speed, we got to Henderson in a little over 7 hours.  Went to dinner at Teriyaki Madness across from the hotel.  We were going to go swimming but the kids (age 5, 2 and 7 months) were pretty tired and the outside temp was 108 so we just hang out in the room.  My back was killing from sitting in the car.