Each Day Is a Gift

Another single digit freezing cold morning.  Ran 3 on track.  45 min pool time. 

4 degrees and smog so to the LC Karen and I go!  6 TM miles with 10X 1 min on/off (8mph/6mph).  Finished the run with two quick miles on the track.  Saw lots of friends and neighbors there, one of whom was Sister Lamb who must be near 80 now.  She was my very first RS president when we moved here 33 years ago! :)

Birthday lunch for Wendy (it's her birthday today) with Diane, Carolyn and Karen at Olive Garden!  :)  

Wendy's boy, Eric was set apart as a missionary tonight by hubby in his home and I was privileged to attend before going to my Webelos den meeting.   He is going to be an awesome missionary in Boston Mass.  :)

Same as Monday.  3 easy miles with Karen on the track.  45 min in the pool.

When is this inversion going away?!!!  I hope I remember how to run on pavement this Sat. :) 

Smog = bad air quality = dreadmill day again!!! :(

Hill work ~ warm up 1.75 mi @ 2% (5-6.3mph).  Increase incline 0.5% every half mile to 7% (6.3mph).  Cool down 1 mi @ 2% (6.5mph)

Karen and her family (husband and four daughters) picked me up around 9:15 for our long drive to Vegas where Karen's youngest daughter is playing in a soccer tournament (Cup Vegas).  

I absolutely love her and her family, such good good kids with genuine caring and fun loving personalities.  We stopped at the Dixie Center around 2 to pick up our race packets and grabbed lunch at Wendy's.

Made it to Karen's sister's house safe and sound.  What a loving group of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma and grandpa, all there to support little 10 year old Grace's game.  And they always treat me like part of their family.

The sun was setting as we drove to the soccer field just before 5pm Nevada time.  It was getting chilly, unusually cold for Vegas.  The soccer venue is huge with 7 or 8 fields.  We set up chairs and huddled in blankets.  The game started at 5:30 (which is 6:30 Utah time).  Grace scored the first point and eventually another point of the 7 points in a 7-0 game.  Karen and I left before the game ended to go grab dinner and drive back to St. George.  So, we ate dinner (Chicken Yakisoba) kinda late at around 8p and got to Karen's parent's house in Santa Clara around 10p.  Karen's other sister who lives in St George met us there to open the house for us.  We visited with Julie for about an hour.  Karen's parents went to Vegas to watch Grace play soccer so we had the house to ourselves.  Karen slept in her parent's bed while I slept in the spare bedroom... so nice!  :)  I took a Tylenol PM and drifted off soon after midnight!   Tomorrow's Half Marathon is going to be a fun fun Sat. medium long run with friends! :)

So nice to sleep in at Karen's mom's house, with own bed and bathroom!  Karen and I left the house just before 8am with a stop to fill up the car and got to the Dixie Center with 45 min to spare.  I got a little sentimental realizing that this might be my last time running this Half Marathon.  This is my 7th consecutive SG Half, as part of the Runner's Series to get into SGM.  Next year I won't need to run the RS for my 10th SGM.  This is one of my favorite halfs (Spanish Fork Half being the other one).  It is an honest course, well organized, plus where else in Utah in the dead of winter can you run a half marathon with beautiful scenery and weather, not to mention seeing so many wonderful running friends and FBRers! :)

Toby and her neighbors found me and Karen and we went to take my overnight bag to Toby's car.  (I have asked to hitch a ride home with her).  The three of us started together about 90 seconds after the gun.  Temp was probably 29 as Toby nearly slipped on some black ice going to the car.  The weather was perfect with clear blue sunny sky, NO wind.  We chatted away for 6 miles.  I was talking up a storm about running form when the first hill came upon us.  I demonstrated how pumping the arms helped lift the knees for uphill running and unintentionally ran ahead.  Toby and Karen stayed close.  I never looked at my Garmin as it was hidden under the sleeves of my two layers of long sleeve shirts.  I just ran by feel and frankly didn't want to know how badly my fitness level has slipped.  I am guessing that if my fitness level is back to when I was a newbie in 2007 where I ran my first Painter's Half, I would probably be running somewhere around 9:30 pace.  Lo and behold at mile 9ish, I took off my top layer and saw our average pace right on at 9:30.  It's encouraging to me that my breathing felt good, no tightness to speak of, stride was smooth and fluid.  YES! my legs remember how to run on pavement!  :)

With 5K left to go, I told Karen we ought to pick up the pace a little.  With 1 mile to go, I said to Karen, "this is our daily run between your house and mine, one mile, we can do it, we'll finish with enough time for you to make your drive back to Vegas for Grace's 2nd soccer game!"  How's that for pep talk! :)  With probably half mile to go, almost at the exact same spot Kelli spotted me last year,  there was Kelli running back on the course to look for her friend, Wendy.  So Kelli ran with us to the mile 13 marker.  It was so great to run a little with her.  RAD and Misty, and Karen's sister, Julie, were at the finish to greet us. :)

After crossing the finish, we quickly grabbed some chocolate milk and goodies, said goodbye to Karen and went back to Toby's hotel.  It was so wonderful to have Toby's company, I have missed her so much.  The drive home with a stop at Cafe Rio was so fun and will remain one of my treasured memories!  :)