Each Day Is a Gift

17 years ago today,  a Monday morning after General Conference,  I went into labor and gave birth to a beautiful perfect baby boy who completed our family of 8.  This morning that baby boy towered over me, scarfed down breakfast and off to conquer AP History and Calculus.  Where did all the time go?  

In two weeks I will be standing in the corral with thousands of excited runners at Hopkinton, watching the F16s zoom overhead in a hopefully calm blue sky.  This morning  the Utah sky is clear blue, the air is fresh, trees are budding, birds are chirping.  What a perfect day to do my last 10 Yasso's run.  

Had a breakfast of yogurt topped with Kashi cereal, 1/2 a blueberry muffin with milk, water.  Did the Dynamic Flexibility Exercises: Tilt Walk, Zombies, Trunk Rotation, Lunge Walk, Lateral Lunge, Foward Leg Swing, Lateral Leg Swing, Heel Bounce.  Wore my Boston 08 s/s shirt and shorts (ahhh, no more tights and jackets), sunglasses and set my Garmin to show pace, average pace and lap pace on 3 different screens.

Ran 1.5 mile for warm up.  Ran 10 Yasso's around the block just like last week,  10 x 0.5 mi at 5K race pace, 0.2 mi recovery at marathon pace in between.   Legs were tired but felt good with 1.6 mile cool down.

10.25 mile in 1:29:15.  AP: 8:42.  Splits: 9:13, 8:16, 8:15, 8:06, 8:59, 8:23, 9:02, 8:37, 9:11, 8:54, (last 0.25 @ 8:58)

Ran west to 12th W. downhill then uphill for 2.6 mile as warm up, keeping steady effort for the uphill.  Then ran the remainder 5.15 miles on gentle rolling terrain at tempo pace.  Other than a brief moment around mile 3.5 where the anterior ligament above the left knee was achy; felt great and strong throughout.  Stretches post-run.

7.75 miles in 1:07:49.  AP: 8:44.  Splits:  9:21, 8:57, 9:03, 8:38, 8:32, 8:38, 8:25 8:14.

I was about to call my friend, Wendy to see if she wants to go for an easy run with me.  I had not run with her since end of Oct after SG.  Right then the door bell rang.  Guess who were standing there all sweaty and smiling, Wendy & Mary.  They came by to wish me luck for Boston and informed me that they hadn't run all Winter, subsequently are not running Ogden and now just starting to train for SGM.  How time past when you're busy.  I can't believe I've been training for 6 months.  We had some fun giggles about their winter "fat" and my humongous legs.

Ran 4 easy at average pace 10 mm.  Glad I got the key workouts done the last two days; a storm is brewing.  So much dust from the wind that I can't see the mountains.

Off to a busy day making leadership prep. and refreshments for tonight.  I'm making 100 yogurt parfeit...hope the brethreans like it; I know the sisters will. 

I could not fall asleep last night.  Early morning meetings.  Off to go to the temple now.  Busy day with shopping and evening events.  Hope to get some core workout in today. 

My feet are killing me!!!!  I was in heels (only 1.5") all day yesterday.  I even ran on the streets of Salt Lake to make it to WICKED.  I wish I could wear my running shoes to meetings, temple, shopping, wedding and the broadway show.  But people already had to look "down" at me with my 4'10.5" frame.  Sigh!  Vanity won over sanity!

I just had to test my feet to see if I could run.  I thought I was running slow.  About mile 3.5 my left knee and right calf started to complain.  Yikes!!!  I hope all these little ailments go away in 10 days.

5.25 miles in 47:42  AP: 9:05   That was dumb! 

Around the World Core and Fast Abs

AM/PM Yoga

When I went to bed last night, the legs and left foot were still sore.  Hubby was up early to go to the 6am temple session.  I debated what to do.  I couldn't go back to sleep.  Saw that there was no rain and not too cold (T. low 40's).  Bec's counting on me to pick her up.  What the heck, I got dressed, ate breakfast, and did a few stretches and was warm enough to wear shorts.  Picked up Bec at 6:40 and arrived to the Porter Rockwell Park at 7:00.  Didn't see anyone other than one lady who kept smiling at us (who turned out to be Metcalf).  Sorry to see a text message from Marion that she's up all night with sickness.  Maurine arrived, then Kelli, Rachel and Heidi showed up.  They have already run 6.  Maurine gave us a "run-down" of the parkway lay-out.  Off we went.  

Rachel and Bec lead the pack, Heidi and Kelli were the middle pack, Metcalf and I stayed at the back of the pack while Maurine ran up on the equestrian trail.  It was fun talking and soon we're running up to the base of Traverse Mountain.  The parkway took us up to the point of the mountain for 5.6 miles where we turned around.  We got back to the park where there were families of Easter egg hunters.  Rachel and I ran around the park at the end for another mile.  

I'm glad I went.  The calf muscles were a little tight on the way down at around mile 8; but otherwise it was a nice recovery run.  THANK YOU Metcalf for helping make the miles go by so fast.  I would have been lost without you since I'm severely directional challenged.  It was so fun chatting with you.

Kelli brought us yummy Kneaders sugar cookies in the shape of bunnies.  Rachel brought us orange juice.  What a treat after a fun run with friends!  Kelli presented Bec and I bags of Boston Baked Beans for good-luck send-off.  THANKS, KELLI!!!  WHAT AN AWESOME, THOUGHTFUL FRIEND!  You girls are the sweetest, nicest running friends ever!!!!  It was a perfect taper run on a perfect day!  

12.15 miles in 1:57:57.  AP: 9:42  Splits: 9:45, 9:20, 9:17, 10:16, 9:59, 9:53, 9:39, 9:33, 9:49, 9:41, 9:41, 9:31