Each Day Is a Gift

Ran easy with Karen, Wendy and Carolyn.  Allergies hit me with a vengeance.  Lotsa spits and snot rocket.  Karen kicked my trash on the uphill.

Helped hubby with the never ending work on our acre jungle, gathering cut-down pine branches to add to the humongous burn pile.  STINKY SMOKE galore!!! :-0

Helped hubby put up the awning on the west side of the covered deck unsuccessfully.  SO HOT! SO DANGEROUS on the ladder! yikes! 

It was so hot yesterday that we decided to beat the heat by starting our run at 6am.  We ran into a micro-burst with tiny raindrops and HUGE wind gust.  I was hoping to see the bright Venus but the huge dark storm clouds covered the northwest sky.  Ran back to the house (0.25 mile) to take a puff of my Albuterol as I could feel an asthma coming on.  We ran east and was rewarded with the view of the mountains and beautiful sunrise.  

Myrtle (10 reps)

6 circuits of CSE (30 reps)

Ran with Karen to Mtn. Ridge Jr. High and back.  Nice overcast sky, 61F, w/ occasional breeze.  Abundant tree blossoms, flowers, dandelions, green grass, weeds, smokey burnt fields = allergy city = O2 deficit = huffing old lady in very slow pace.  :)

Helped hubby a tiny bit in the yard gathering cut-down Poplars to add to burn pile.  The raspberries patch needs weeding AGAIN...will have to wait for another day.

Going to the temple with another elderly stake member receiving his endowment.  This is the 2nd such occasion this month!  SO VERY NICE!!!  I LOVE IT!!! :)

Ran with Karen.  Nice weather.  

Myrtle.

5 circuits CSE.

Clean house so it's guest-presentable for Lowell tomorrow! :)

A huge rain and hurricane wind storm blew in couple hours after I've scrubbed the outside windows totally ruined my hard work!  Grrrrrr!

Bryan dropped on his way home after his MobTab-OTS rehearsal.  He spent the night because of the storm.  While visiting with him, I got a text from Lowell and was distracted.  I had turned on the faucets to start soaking my hubby's smokey-dirty-yard-work clothes in the laundry tub.  It over flowed and flooded my laundry room and the room below it.  Bryan and hubby helped me mop up the mess and traced the flow of the flood.  Thankfully it was withing the duct work, no sheet rocks or flooring damage.  Boy, was I tired by the time I went to bed at 1am. 

Was going to do some intervals.  But too tired.  Plus I had to give Bryan a hair cut before he heads back down to his apartment in Provo.  So I aborted the workout after 2 miles warm up.  O well...am not in any shape and form to do speed work anyway.

Finished cleaning up the house.  Went to Costco and Smith.  Never go shopping when you're in a hurry...meet too many old friends and neighbors and just had to visit with them.  Lowell got to my house before I made it home.  I was going to cook us a salmon dinner; since I was short on time...hubby treated us to dinner at Applebees.

After dinner, we went to packet pick up and Expo where I found out the AF Canyon 1/2 was filled!  GRRRR! 

After the Expo, I took Lowell to AF Hospital to see his brand new grandson who was born last night at 11:15.  I just LOVE to hold and cuddle new born baby.  GREAT DAY and NIGHT! :)

Got up at 5am.  Lowell and I had a quick breakfast of banana and OJ before heading over to Karen's so she could follow us to Thanksgiving Point.  Got there at 5:50.  Used the bathroom.  Met Toby, Catherine and RAD at the packet pick up pavilion.  Temps was in the high 30s, calm.  PERFECT running weather! 

We ran the beginning miles of the course;  RAD and Catherine turned around at the hairpin turn (2.5 miles).   Lowell, Toby, Karen and I ran further north then turned east around the backside of the Thanksgiving Point business park and back to the start.  Had to walk to take my albuterol on the uphill climb east of the Marriott Hotel.  So mad at my asthma.  Forgot to restart my Garmin so lost a mile data.  But Karen's Garmin showed that we've run just a tad under 5 miles so I ran to the car to ditch the jacket and gloves to make 5.

Ran to the start as the announcer said 60 seconds before the race.  Waited for the gang to go over the timing mat.  Got to hang with Misty a little bit and cheered JakeK and Walter.  SO EXCITING to see the Elites breezing by! :)  Rachel shot out in front of the 1:55 pace group.  That girl is on fire! :)  Lowell, Karen, Toby and I hang back at the 9:20 pace.  All was well until we hit some uphills where my lungs just wouldn't let me run!  It was very kind of Toby and Karen to stay close.  

Running thru the gardens is crazy fun, beautiful tulips in full bloom, the rose garden arbor was romantic, so was the merry-go-round, the butterfly garden has fun hedges to run thru, my favorite was the children's discovery garden and the biggest man-made water fall.  :)  Then comes the golf course with its undulating rollers...yikes...it kills any oz. of my rhythm...I would blast down the downhills only to come to a halt on the uphills.  When I say hills...I mean rollers...but they felt like mountains! :)  They are so NOT fun!

Got a little bit of headwind when we headed south which took my measly breath away.  That was the beginning of my "wall".  I could not pick up my pace without a hint of asthma attack coming on...so I jogged/walked until we got off the golf course.  Toby and Karen and Toby's friends started pulling away.  When I saw them at one of the hairpin turns, I cut across to meet them.  I would've been DQ'd twice today...hahaha!!! :)

On the straight stretch (NOT too many of those, this course has more turns then Rapumsel's curls) I was able to keep a steady pace but still couldn't keep strides with the gang.  I saw a prego girl and wasn't about to let her beat me so I ran with her until the last turn north with about 0.2 or less to go.  Her family was there to cheer her in.  I "kicked" it in after the turn into Electric Park.  I could see Toby but couldn't catch her.  I peeled off a few yards from the finish just before the barricade and continue to run on the walkway to circle around the finisher's corral.  I didn't reset my Garmin, so not sure what my time for the Half was. 

After finding the gang, we used the pop, dropped off Lowell's finisher medals in the car and went out for 4 more miles.  We ran about a mile out and turned back to see if Lowell was coming and realized he must've decided not to come.  Debated whether to call it quit...I would've if RAD didn't stay with me.  I had to take a lot of walk breaks.  THANKS Rachel for staying with me! :)  Karen and Toby ran up ahead and turned west to make sure they got in 4 miles, RAD turned to join them.  I ran the last mile of the race and passed some of the half-marathoners.  Got some cheer from the people in my Stake (both during the race, after and now)!!! :)

It was SUPER COOL to see Lily, Walter and met in person JakeK, Andrea and Runningafterbabies who all took podium.  CONGRATZ!!!  WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!! :) :) :)  Lowell took 2nd in his AG!  After the award ceremony, we went to IHop for yummy brunch!  :)

OH!  How could I forget the Altra Maniacs (jun and Matt).  They were running everywhere cheering and spreading AWESOME STUDNESS!!! Got to see them 3 times on the course and they even ran a little bit with me on the golf course rollers AND hang out at the award ceremony.  I'm still smiling thinking about it! :) :) :) :) :)

*****Hit 55 miles this week!  At this stage of my training, I feel fortunate that I can put in the mileage...but...my fitness is not there...I am running SO SLOW!!!!  Will just have to accept the fact that I am getting oldER and I may never ever PR again! :(  With that said, I have not lost my love of running...well, it's the only thing I know how to do! Hehehe! :)