Each Day Is a Gift

I started to feel sick last night, chills, slight fever, upset stomach and achy all over.  At first I thought it was just cause the weather was cold and windy and the achy was stiffness from the morning run.  But, this morning I'm feeling nauseated, light headed. yucky all over and cold.  It's too bad cause it's my husband's b'day today and we're having BBQ ribs.  I cann't even think about food no less eat any.  I went to Sacrament Mtg and skipped the others.  Our flight is at 4pm this afternoon.  I hope it's just a little stomach flu and I'll be good to go in a day or two.  Trying to rest today.

Playing with grandkids is so fun but can be exhausting.  I'm glad I got sick at the end of the visit so it didn't spoil the fun.  So good to be home, sleep in my own bed.  I slept for NINE hours last night.  I LOVE my 24" mattress.  I am feeling much better. 

I didn't run till 10am because my construction friend came to finish the walk-in closet shelves and started on the cook-top-hood-flue-cabinet-cover in the kitchen.  Had to wash the hood and clean up the kitchen counter.  Had just enough time to run before the visiting teachers came.

It was a slow and sluggish run much like last week in Houston.  Consider I didn't eat a thing yesterday, with the stomach flu over the weekend, I did fairly well for the run.  Funny thing was after the first mile I started to feel pain in the pubis.  Was that sympathy pain for Teena?  Weird!!! 

6.5 miles in 1:02 Splits: 10:24, 9:51, 9:17, 9:28, 9:14, 9:11, last 0.5 mi at 9:02.  Average pace: 9:32  Arthritis: 6  HR:  152

Wasn't going to run today.  Hubby came home at 10 am with chills and fever.  He got the same Texas flu bug I got from my daughter who got it from the kids who got it from the...  We both had our flu shots a month ago.  With this illness we should be permanently immuned from all flu bugs this winter, right? 

In between visitng teaching, making sure hubby takes fluids, repairman showing up, making mashed potatoes for Mutual, I got on Kathie's blog where she described how lovely it was outside.  So, I just HAD to go for a run, maybe a quick 3 miler for the pysche.

Why is the first warm up mile so painful, I mean, where's the energy?  That must be just me and something I have to live with.  Once I got warmed up it wasn't too bad.  It's a gorgeous day.  With parents driving kids home from school waving as I ran by, I had to pretend to enjoy my run even though I was hurting all over.  I could feel the protests from my quads, left knee, the pubis and now radiating to the sitting bones.  But I'm glad I did it.  Got to make something soothing for hubby.  He's rarely sick in bed, poor thing. 

5.25 miles in 48:55  Splits: 10:34, 9:30, 8:52, 9:05, 8:48, last 0.25 mile at 8:21.  Arthritis: 5  HR: 162

Woke up with quite a bit of soreness.  I wanted to run the bench loop going west first so I could run the first "painful" mile downhill.  Mile 1.3 to 2.6 is uphill, get that over with, then determine how far to run from there by how I feel. 

The nice thing about living here (a plug for those looking for an ideal place to live, run, play) is that you can configure many running options:  hills, flat, 2 to 13 miles loop with views of mountains both east and west and the roads are very safe.  There's even a canal trail on this bench loop.  Wish I knew how to link my Garmin run here (like Jona does) to show you.

Temp was 41,  wore shorts, TOU l/s top, sunglasses.  Ate yogurt, banana, drank emergenC.  After 3 miles all the soreness seem to disappear I ended up running the whole loop.

7 easy miles in 1:07.  Splits: 10:00, 9:50, 10:25, 9:30, 9:35, 9:30, 8:57.  AP: 9:42, Arthritis: 4, HR: 152

It was an enjoyable run, stretched while Serena, the kitten, cuddled up. 

The best part of the day was having a most wonderful lunch and visit with Teena and meeting all her sweet children.  Everyday should be like today.  LOVE every minute of it.  THANKS TEENA!!! LLL

HIT THE WALL!!!

Thursday is usually my "meetings, church stuff" day.  I was going to get up early to run a couple of hill repeats or do 4x400s.  It didn't happen.  The usual stiffness and soreness were not there when I woke up.  So I had high hopes to put in the workout in the afternoon.

By the time all the busy stuff was done and over with, it was 2:30 pm.  The first warm up mile was uneventful, no pain at all.  I anticipated to start the interval at the corner of the block at approx. 2.25 mile.  BAM!!! at mile 1.5 my right calf started to cramp up.  I tried changing the stride lengths, quicken the leg turnover, slow down the leg turnover, nothing worked.  The cramps moved from the calves to the quads.  By mile 2  I could barely keep a good running form.  I felt like I was at mile 25 of a marathon, the wheels started to fall off.  I managed to make it home without the legs completely ceased up on me.  I then realized I only ate a banana, a granola bar and a drink of water before heading to my 8:30 am meeting.

I am concerned by this bad bad run.  I have NEVER had leg cramps this early in a run.  3.5 miles in 35:35  Splits:  10:34, 10:03, 10:04, 0.5 mi in 9:50

Questions to self concerning the leg cramps, is it because:

1.  I didn't take any vitamins and suplements last week and only two days this week?

2.  I hadn't eaten for 6.5 hours?

3.  Not adequate hydration?

4.  4 days post flu?

5.  Not adequate rest/recovery from previous runs?

6.  Hadn't done any yoga or coreworkout for 12 days?

HELP!!!  Leg cramps is my demon, I am so scared!!!

On the phone all morning.  Man, there's so much follow up to do from the meetings last night.   Does S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G while talking on the phone count?  There must have been a dozen knots in my leg muscles. Ate good and hydrated well this morning.  Took vitamins and calcium supplements. 

Going to do some yoga now before attacking the mess in the basement.

The Celine Dion concert got postponed.  Darn, I was so looking forward to this concert.  Plan B for date night: dinner at the club and may be the James Bond movie if it's not pre-empted by all the Twilight showings. 

I will be so rested and ready for tomorrow's run (I HOPE I HOPE) and then it's showtime for byu-utah.  GO COUGARS!!!

HALL STINKS!

Can't believe I'm gonna type this:  Utes deserves the Championship, the BCS. Cougs beat themselves.  STINKS!  YUCK!  GAG!  Ok, got it out of my system.  I gave up running VOF marathon to go to Rice Eccles Stadium for this game?!  The Cougs blew it.  But the food was good, saw Patty and LaVell Edwards and Robert Braugh (Teena's friend?)

John, Wendy and I got to the Lehi JRP around 8 am.  We were the only ones there.  We went south towards Utah Lake.  It was a bit cold.  I wore the Slam l/s shirt, CWX tights, light running jacket and gloves.  We kept a steady conversation pace. There was a group of boy scout camping at the Willow Park.  We turned around at mile 5.12 just past the lake outlet/pump house by a park with a playground.  I'm guessing the trail probably goes further south towards Saratoga Springs.  We made a pit stop at the Model Airplane Park's port-a-potty.  We saw a motor powered hang-glider, lotsa black angus cattle, a 3 point deer, a hawk, lotsa ducks, couple of duck hunters.  The boy scouts were now cycling their 15 miler towards us.  The parking lot was now full.  Wondered if Leslie and Maurine or anyone else came and ran north sine we didn't see anyone else on the trail.  Was a good run.  Can't wait to run it again next week with Kelli and others.  

Average pace 10:00, fastest at 8:37.  Legs felt better today.  Could probably run further but had to get home early.