Each Day Is a Gift

39F cloudy, very light rain.  NEW month, new week, new day!!! :)  Ran to meet Karen and Amanda who only joins us on Mondays.  After Amanda peeled off (she only wants 3), Karen and I picked up the pace a bit.  After stopping outside Karen's house where we visited with Amanda and their neighbor (whom we're trying to talk into joining us in the future), my legs got stiffened up.  So I walked Amanda to her house then ran a mile home at mp.  (10:50, 10:00, 9:55, 9:26, 9:34, 9:18, 9:17)

Signed up for Ogden.  This will be my 8th Ogden, counting the DNF in 2012 where I re-fractured my foot.  I have not had good finishes at Ogden, other than the first year I ran it, and the year it rained and I ran slowly with Lowell, I have always cramped up the last 5K.  Thought may be not adequate recovery from Boston in those years.  But, even last year when I just returned from Australia and back to running, I ran the Half very slowly and still cramped up.  Ogden has not been kind to me!  Hoping this year will be different! :)

Will sign up for West Mountain as a training run (4 weeks out) if I can talk Karen into running it with me! :)

Had PD clinic lab this morning and afterwards had dimsum and checked out the Chinatown market in SLC with hubby. :) 

Didn't run until nearly 2pm.  55F cloudy breezy 6mph SSE.  Wore shorts, l/s top.  Ran on MCT via 810E west to rail trail which was opened.  Ran to south part by the new hospital where it was closed for road construction (mile 4).  Turned around and ran home the same route.  Wanted to do a tempo run.  First mile was very slow to warm up.  Once on the MCT with the wind on my back I was able to get in a good rhtymn.  My watch for some reason, has been showing pace as min.sec./km, instead of  min.sec/mile.  Anyhow I just go by effort (between 5:50-5:30/k).  Slight headwind on the return.

8 miles AP: 9:25. 

Mile 1:  10:52 (slow, sluggish warm up)

Mile 2:  9:49 (still slow)

Mile 3:  9:14

Mile 4:  8:51 (downhill)

Mile 5:  10:05 (uphill)

Mile 6:  9:14 (same route as mile 3 but with headwind)

Mile 7:  8:49 (same as mile 4, a min faster)

Mile 8:  8:36 (same as mile 1 with a bit tailwind)

Went to Family History Center in SLC with hubby in the morning.  Didn't get out for run until nearly 4pm.  54F cloudy calm.  8 slow recovery miles.  AP: 10:38

36F partly cloudy, calm.  Ran with Karen down 3rd West, up Rail Trail, traverse around construction site (mud/dirt frozen) and back on other end of rail trail onto MCT.  We talked about the different education systems (pre-college) in America and my own in HK.  Then we discussed our long runs/races schedule for the next couple months.

Going to the temple this afternoon.  Last 20 miler tomorrow.

Awaken every hour through the night, perhaps fretting over this long run.  Legs are definitely not fresh (with 30 total miles in the last consecutive 4 days).  Out of bed at 6:15am, 41F, cloudy, 5mphSSE.  Wore shorts, compression sleeve, l/s shirt and green Boston jacket that has zip off sleeves, and pockets to hold flask of water and Gu's.  Nearly full bright moon to the west.  Ran 2.25 miles before meeting Karen at her house.  Plan was to run east up to Alpine then south to AF/Highland for a 20 mile loop back to her house then a mile home to make 23 miles!

Beautiful morning, bright full moon to the west, sunrise illuminating the clouds in pink and orange to the east, snowcapped mountains against gorgeous crisp blue sky and bright white fluffy clouds.  We ran up north on Suncrest Dr. then traverse east to Alpine Park where we gu'ed and drank from the everflowing fountain (7+miles).  Then ran south to SR92 and east up to the mouth of AF Canyon.  Happiest surprise of the day was when Toby honked and stopped to talk with us on her way up AF Canyon where she would grab some vertical miles! :)  Just love that girl and so very proud of her! :)

After saying goodbye to Toby we continued on SR92 to the trail head by Canyon Rd.  The golf course trail was abruptly closed for some construction (possibly to bury some pipes).  We climbed up the hill side to find a more accessible spot to cross the construction site without success so we hiked back down and found a lower dirt pile to cross.  All the drinking fountains and bathrooms along the Cedar Hills trails were closed.  We got on the MCT and continue east to the parking lot/bathroom by Canyon Rd.  We gu'ed and drank (mile 15ish).  By now it was getting warm and I could tell I had not kept up with my hydration.  Karen shed her l/s shirt.  I tried taking the jacket off to tie around my waist but the water flask flapping bugged me so I zip the sleeves off and put them in the other pocket of my jacket (now a vest).  That works well especially when the wind started to pick up and my wet shirt didn't chill me!

I started to bonk in the 17th mile.  Now Karen was doing the talking while I listened and tried to ignore the pain on my feet.  We stopped at the bathroom south of Lone Peak HS to drink.  The next 2-3 miles were painful.  It was also getting very windy.  We stopped at Mitch Hollow Park bathroom and when I reached for the sink to get some water I got very light headed and dizzy.  So I put my head down and got my heart rate to settle a bit, gu'ed and drank.  I was so depleted that I had forgotten to restart my watch from the last stop.  After running Karen home (her watch read 20 miles), I ran home (which is almost a mile from her house) to make 23ish miles.  That last mile was a crawling 11:15-12:00 pace with a stiff headwind.  Feet and shins were hurting very bad. 

Got in the house and could not find any recovery drink so I mixed a pack of instant breakfast with milk and gulped that down in seconds.  I was so dehydrated I think I drank less than 18oz of water and 3 Gu.  For breakfast I had 6 oz OJ and a yogurt.  This 23 miler zapped me like a marathon except I had lots of stops; and my left foot arch and shin and heel are killing me!  So glad for a 3 weeks taper and hopefully I will recover.  No fun getting old and slow!