Each Day Is a Gift

With Larissa, Wendy, Leslie, Karen: down 3rd West > up Rail Trail > east MCT > Perry homes.  Nice running weather, calm, partly sunny sky, low 60s.  Slow as tare these days!
 

66 F Sunny.  With Larissa down and up Dry Creek on MCT (800 E > MCT > Dry Creek > Mitch Hollow Park > MCT >Dry Creek > 600 E) AP: 10:48

72F, 57% humidity, partly sunny.  With Larissa, Karen and Leslie.  Up Suncrest to Elelmentary School, turned back to Karen's house.  We walked the last 0.25 mile with Karen who's still battling with PFs.  AP: 10:16.  Leslie kicked my trash on the uphill to Suncrest.  Thankfully Larissa stayed with me.  

Went shopping all day at the Outlets, Downeast, Target with Larissa and Jade.  Our legs (including Jade's) were ready to fall off! :)  We did have a couple hours break in the afternoon before going to upChuck-a-Rama for dinner with the family (all 14 of us) and resumed shopping til 9:15 at night!  Cowabunga!  I've never done so much shopping in one day in my life! :)

68F sunny.  Larissa and I ran with Leslie west on MCT to 3 miles then turned back.  I was a huffin' n puffin' on the uphill BUT I did NOT walk.  We stopped briefly at the trailside bathroom to stretch and drink.  AP:  9:50. 

The upper left chest pain still bugging.  Larissa thinks I have costochronitis.  NSAIDS seems to help.  Still have not been able to sleep more than 3 hours at a stretch.  Other than that all is well. 

Larissa and I left the house shortly after 6am and drove to the parking lot on the east bench of Manila/PG on Canyon Rd.  We used the bathroom there and started our run right at 6:30am.  Temp was 73 with partly cloudy sky which quickly got sunny within an hour and temp climbed to near 80. 

We ran west for 2 miles and turned back to the parking lot where we were to meet Leslie and Karen at 7:15 since they wanted only 10 miles.  When we didn't see their car, we continued on for 0.25 miles and back to the parking lot for 4.5 miles.  Then we ran south together.  I could tell Leslie was itching to go faster.  My breathing would get labored with even the slightest incline.  Leslie and Larissa got talking and went faster ahead, we'd always grouped back up at every water fountain stop.  Karen didn't want to go farther than 10 so she stopped at the bathroom at her 4.75 miles to stretch and wait while we ran further and then joined us on the return.  I gued at 6.25, ate 2 shot blocks at 10.5 and 1 shot block at 13.  We stopped to take picture of the beautiful valley view.  It was a wonderful morning running with my daughter and special friends.

Today is my granddaughter, Skylar's 3rd birthday.  Her mom hosted a fabulous birthday party with "superhero" theme at noon.  Jen dressed up as Elastic Girl, Jeff as Spiderman, Skylar was Superman.  We all wore superheros Tshirt.  Jeff made her a sandbox complete with benches and beach umbrella.  Lucky girl! 

Then we hosted a BBQ dinner at our house.  So great to have three of my children and their spouses and 6 grandchildren, niece and her 2 children joined us.  Busy happy day!

***Pocatello is three weeks out.  My training has been dismal this summer.  I am doing a rather quick mileage build up for this marathon.  Barely made 40 miles this week.  Hoping to peak at 50 next week then taper.  Sometimes I feel like I have no business in running a marathon.  I am old, fat and injured...and I am extremely stubborn...but I am alive and as long as I can put one foot in front of the other I will keep on keeping on! :)