Each Day Is a Gift

Overcast sky w/ a misty precipitation.  The grandkids have no school so they wanted to go to the park.  I jogged w/ Luke in the stroller while Lex rode his bike and Jade jogged along.  When we got to the park, the playground equipment was still wet so we didn't stay to play! 

The right knee is still tight, left hammie still sore!  What am I going to do?  I may have to revise my training schedule for Boston which is 12 weeks away!  Aaaaghhh!!!  Meanwhile I'm enjoying my time w/ the grandkids and sweet tiny baby Jett! :)  

Evening:  30 min core while watching Lost on the iPad

PM: 

60 min elliptical ~ cross-train-program: tried to keep strides/min @ 180-200 at low resistance forward, 120-140 at resistance 8 backward.  Max HR 160

20 min bike @ level 5.  HR 130

Sweat fest!!!  Right knee feeling better w/ movement but the right tibial tuberosity insertion area still tender to touch! 

Evening:  30 min. core while watching Lost. 

80 min elliptical ~ variety program: resistance varies from 6 - 16 every min.

20 min bike.  Another sweat factory!

My bags are packed.  Dinners are cooked.  Stupid flight is delayed.  Steven received his mission call this morning!  BUT he has to wait till I get home tonight, like 11pm, so we can skype and watch him open his call.  Testing his patience! :)

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Got home at 10:30pm and immediately skyped Steven!  I videoed him opening his call via web cam.  Guess where he is going??? 

TAIWAN TAIPEI 

You should have heard the shouts and cheers!  YAHOOO!!!  FINALLY, after 4 sons, the Lews have one son going to Chinese speaking mission!  :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Hubby has a meeting in SG at 11am so we got up bright and early for our drive down to SG.  After two weeks of granny duty in TX, it was nice to have a little get-away w/ my honey. 

While hubby went to the meeting I went to the hotel's fitness center.  I was really tempted to run outside as it was sunny w/ temp in the 50s.  I hindsight I should have.  There was one elliptical which looked like it was going to fall apart, the roughest, most pathetic thing I've ever seen.  After 5 min of attempting to pedal that thing I gave up and got on the one bike which was no better.  So I got on the treadmill which sounded like a train wrack.

The patella tendon started to complain after about 30 min into the run.   It didn't seem to matter whether I run fast or slow.

Then I went to the pool to do some resistance exercises for the legs.  That seemed to help.

There was no knee pain when I woke up.  Was really tempted to go for a run; but went to the Gold's Gym instead.  I was impressed with the Gym.  I tried out the ArcTrainer.  I like the LifetimeFitness ellipticals better than the Precor.   Also tried out the strength training machines for various muscle groups.  I don't think they make equipments for a 4'10.5" person! :)  I think I was there for 3 hours, another sweat fest! :)

Hubby got done w/ his work early so we went to the movie, Tangle.  I really liked the movie, love the part about *dreams*!  Hubby usually doesn't care for animation movies.  But he liked this one.  Then we went to the Dixie Center for the Expo and packet pickup.  The Bank has a booth there.  Then we went to Red Lobster for dinner, long wait.

I debated over and over many many times the last few weeks whether to run this.  My hubby happened to schedule work/branch visits/offsite in SG and Hurricane for Thur, Fri and Sat.   RAD convinced me (not in a Helga way) to sign up!  I would at the least have a mini vacation and a $40 race shirt (which btw never fits me).  My son had advised me not to run if there's any pain at all; or just jog the 5K.  Even my SSF text me to be careful!  Did I listen to the voice of wisdom and reasoning?  NO!!!  Stubborn stubborn me!

Plan was to run w/ my friend, Karen, who ran her very first half marathon at Snow Canyon in 2:04.  We met at 8am in the Dixie Center where we saw RAD, Kelli, Tom & Kim, Pron8r and others.  We walked to the start w/ 5 min before gun time.  Temp was in the high 30s, partly cloudy and no wind, perfect race weather.  I had shorts, s/s top, compression sleeves and gloves on, a bit cold...imagine my joy when I saw Kathie who's always at races' starts to keep me warm. 

It was a bit crowded, within a hundred yards of crossing the start, I lost Karen.  I took comfort that she was running with her sister Kathy (her first half) and Kathy's husband.  Kathie does a wonderful job dodging the crowd and kept track of me; we soon found ourselves running side by side at a comfortable pace.

The first couple miles felt easy although it took awhile to warm up my arthritic joints in the cold.  I love running with Kathie so I just hung with her for as long as I could.  At about mile 2.5 we saw Canyon (MarcieN).  The 3 of us ran together at conversational pace.  It was so fun to catch up with what our families been up to.  Marcie found her friend around mile 7 and took off with her. 

Kathie does a great job keeping a constant pace! I really appreciate that.  I just ran w/ how I feel although my strides did not feel smooth at all, I was trying to be careful with my knee.  At around mile 9.5 Kathie said we were on pace for 1:52 but fading.  I had Gu'd at mile 9 and felt no sign of fatigue.  Breathing was easy and legs felt fine, even the knee was ok.

It was at one of those turns that the first sign of cramping showed up.  I slowed down a bit, while Kathie walked up the little hill at the aid station I caught up to her.  As we made the turn, her friend who was supposed to run w/ found her.  At that instant, my left calf cramped up.  With fear and sadness I watched them run off.  It was like dejavu...the first year we ran Painters, it was on this part of the trail that I watched Kathie and her sister Kimmie passed me and took off and I longingly wanted to run w/ them! :)

The next 2 miles (12 & 13) were agony fighting off charlie horse which would start at the toes, then crept up the calves, then the shins.  I HATE these involuntary muscle contractions, it's creepy snake like convulsions, sooo scary!  If it seized up I would be DONE, collapsing in a heap of ugly agony!  I was running with REAL fear!  I tried to relax by thinking of all the wonderful blessings and happenings in my family lately...didn't help!

An amazing thing happen, I looked to the horizon and saw the SG Temple.  The words of this hymn came to my mind:  "Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.  I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by my righteous, Upheld by my righteous, Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."  I repeatedly sang that over and over (in my head of course) 'till I made the last turn towards Dixie Center where cheering friends and families sustained me.  I looked down at my watch and saw 1:54:11 and determined to come in sub 1:55.  I was elated to see that I made it and crossed the finish w/o collapsing.   Hubby and RAD was there to collect me and help me recover.  :)

This is my 5th year running Painters/SG Half.  I have come in 4th place in my AG every year.  I was ecstatic when I saw the posting that I was listed 3rd place.  Hubby said: "Oh darn, now we have to stay for the award!"  It was so fun to watch and cheer our FRB friends, MichelleL, AmberG, PaulP, JulieC, Kathie's mom, got on the podium.  Imagine my embarrassment when I was NOT called up.  O well, I'll just have to run this thing again to rid of this "4th place jinx"...5th place would've been ok! :) :) :) 

Splits:  8:51, 8:45, 8:33, 8:33, 8:29, 8:50, 8:33, 8:41, 9:09 (Gu'd), 8:36, 8:46, 9:58, 9:58 (I'm surprised to see the last 2 miles so consistent even in pain), 0.1 @7:13

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I am glad that I've completed the Runner Series requirement garnering a guarantee entry to SG Marathon.  My legs are very sore today with occasional involuntary twitches, weird!  It will take some time to let everything heal.  I am going to take it slow and easy and hopefully make it to the start line at Boston in runnable shape!  Hubby booked our flights already while I was in Texas...so I better make it!  :)