You've got to want it to win it

8 miles in the neighborhood again.  7:31 average pace, so I guess I am doing a little better.  Started antibiotics today so hopefully I'll keep seeing improvements.

8 miles in the neighborhood this morning.  7:24 average pace.  I am considering doing a threshold workout tomorrow since I felt pretty good today and I was planning on it earlier this week, it'll depend on how I feel the rest of today.

This morning I did a threshold at Liberty Park. I warmed up a lap with Jesse, then did another half mile and then drills and strides to finish the warmup. The workout was 6 half miles with 45 seconds rest. My times were 3:01, 3:03, 3:02, 3:06, 3:02, 2:59. Cooled down to finish with 8 total, 2 miles of the cooldown were with Bill.

4 miles on Jordan River Trail today with the stroller. I felt really tired. Possibly from yesterday's workout and then paddleboarding all afternoon.

10 miles with the stroller this morning. I started at the Capitol and ran City Creek road to 11th Avenue over to Virginia Street. I turned around and ran back to City Creek and up the canyon a little bit. Ran to 11th one final time before going to the Capitol to finish with 10. Lots of zigzagging today because I didn't want to do one continuous hill. Still got plenty of intermittent hill work in.

Started my run from Sugarhouse this morning.  I did a lap and a half around before exiting the park to run the road part of the cemetery loop route.  Finished back at the park with 8 total.  7:20 average pace. 

8 miles at Liberty park today with the stroller.  It was nice that it was overcast so it didn't get too hot.  Right when I started my run, it started to rain so I just did laps around the park so Ellie wouldn't be copmletely in the wind for half of the run.  7:25 average pace.

Not feeling too great today.  I have 3 days left of antibiotics but I'm not sure if I'm up to finishing them.  I started my run with Jesse today on the Jordan River trail.  I pushed the stroller on the first mile and then Jesse took it the rest of the way since he was going shorter.  When I got to the closed trail at 5400s I turned around to let Jesse know, and decided to run home from there so he wouldn't have to wait by the car for me to finish.  It was 7 miles back to my street, so I'll just do the extra mile tomorrow or Saturday.

This morning I did a threshold workout at Liberty park. As I was pulling into the park and saw all of the tents set up for the froyo 5k I was glad I had decided not to put this off until tomorrow. I warmed up 2 miles and then did strides and drills. I started at the .5 by the northeast corner. The workout was 4x5minutes with 1:30 rest. The distances I got were .79, .70, .78, and .80 miles. I cooled down another 2 and a quarter miles to finish with 8 total. When I got home I did the post workout GS (Heather says I need to make sure to do those so I can have an easier transition into lifting again) and core.

This morning I ran 9 miles in the neighborhood. I went as far west as 3600 and as far south as 6200. 7:19 average pace.

Decided to do my long run today because sometimes it is easier on Monday (easier to push back if you don't feel like it) and to free up my Saturday run for Draper Days. I started at the institute parking garage and ran up campus and then over to Sunnyside so I could run Emigration canyon. The way up was challenging enough, and then the way down hurt. It was really hot by the time I was finishing. 7:48 average pace. Definitely could have gone better. At least I got the miles in though.

8 miles with the stroller today. I started at Sugarhouse and ran out of the park on the cemetery loop route. To add on, I went back down to Alden again after the stretch on Melbourne. 7:46 average. I felt better than yesterday but it was still late and pretty hot when I got started. Afterwards I went hiking with Giselle in City Creek canyon. I've been missing out on some good trails up there because I've never gone off the road. Something to explore on my next run up there without the stroller.

I officially registered for Draper Days last night so I had some motivation for my workout this morning. At Liberty Park I warmed up 2 miles and then did my strides and drills. The threshold for this week was three 8 minute reps with 2:15 rest (actually it didn't say rest on the schedule but I calculated it based off of the other weeks). I took the first one out slow since the workouts from the previous weeks were shorter, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't pushing too hard at the start. The mile split was 6:31 (too slow) and I covered 1.22 miles in the first set. I was able to use the recovery to get to the same starting point so that was nice to run the same leg every time. On the second one I came through the mile in 6:27 (still too slow but at least I picked it up a little bit) and covered 1.24 miles. On the final one I hit 6:18 for the mile and covered 1.28 miles. I think maybe a little longer warmup would probably help, and a few more strides before starting. But since this is longer than I've been doing I'm ok with it. I finished it up with four 20 second strides and then cooled down 2.4 miles to finish with 10 total.

This evening I took Ellie for a short run in the stroller. We went to the corner of 3600w and 4700s and back. 7:41 average, it was all uphill on the way out so all downhill on the way back.

This morning I started my run from Sugarhouse with the stroller. I ran a little bit past Olympus high and back. Right after I turned around, I got cut off in the crosswalk by a lady making a left hand turn. I was yelling at her and she was waving her hand at me, and then a police officer who was approaching the intersection turned on his lights and pulled her over right there! Sweet moment of victory. I don't know how many times I've almost been hit in the crosswalk, even with the driver watching, so it was nice to see someone get pulled over for it. Thank you police officer. Average pace 7:34.

7 miles this morning from campus. I did the Albertson's loop and then finished with strides and drills in the field by the institute garage. 7:26 average pace. Afterwards I went and met the new coach. Lot tally not what I expected from the way Kep described her, but I can already tell there will be a higher accountability for training and recovery runs this upcoming season. It's gonna be great!

This morning when my alarm went off at 5:15, I began to question my motives for signing up for this 7A.M. race.  But I dragged myself out of bed and started getting ready.  I squished 2 spiders before getting out the door, so I was fearless.  I got to Draper and started my warmup on the Porter Rockwell trail.  I took a bathroom break and then changed shoes for strides and drills.  On the starting line I was thinking about how nice it would be if deodorant were included in race packets, because when you're that close to a bunch of runners for a few minutes before the race starts it can be smelly.  When the race started I just went out at a pace that I felt I could hold, and when it got more spread out as the runners around me found their pace I just picked a few people to stick with and made that my pack.  There was a lead group in the front, and I ended up with 4 guys a little ways back from them.  I was disappointed that there wasn't anyone calling splits at the first mile, but I heard the other runner's watches beep at the mile marks.  Just past the first mile we caught up to someone who had fallen off the lead pack, and he looked several times when he realized he was being caught and passed by a lady.  I stayed with two of the guys for the second mile and let them do the leading, but when we got to the second mile mark I took off and didn't see them again.  The last mile felt long, but that might have been because I was by myself and no one had fallen far enough off the lead pack to catch.  I started to kick when I turned the final corner and could see the finish line in the distance.  It was a long stretch and felt endless.  I saw my parents and my dad called out the time at 17:35, I realized there was a chance I could break 18!  Which was awesome because I felt that my pace was more of threshold effort but it must have been faster based on that time.  I finished around 17:55 (waiting for results to be posted so I can be sure) and almost puked, but held it in.  I cooled down to finish with 10 total.  It is so nice to have this first race post-baby behind me!  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I felt that I ran a smart race with the people around me and it was good preparation for what going back to racing in the fall will be like.  

This morning I did my long run for the week. It was nice to be able to have it overcast with a few drops of rain here and there so it didn't get too hot. I started at Sugarhouse park and went up 2100s to 2100e. I was thinking a loop above the zoo and then along Wasatch and over the freeways should get me pretty close to the miles I needed, but as I was passing the library I saw Becky and Jess! They were running south on Foothill so I crossed the street and turned around and ran with them. I got 6 miles with them, to 2100s and 1500e back up to campus, before heading back towards Sugarhouse again this time on my own. I was only a quarter mile short of what I needed when I got to my car, so that was an easy add on. 1:36 total time with 7:26 average pace. Great run!

This morning I did a workout at Cottonwood Complex to incorporate some hills and decide if I would race on Friday. I warmed up around the block and then did strides and drills in the field. I ran up Bessie (or Helga? is that the last one on the region course? It's been too long... I can't remember) and around the trees at the top to loop back down and finish by a tree close to the start. I did that one 6 times, getting .31-.32 miles and between 1:52-1:55 each time, with aroung 70 seconds recovery. In the 5th and 6th reps my right hip and back were starting to hurt. Once I was done with those, I did the hill twice more but running all the way to the fence for .25 miles. On the way back down on the last one my back had some spasms (had them last summer too, doesn't concern me that much) so that leads into my decision to not race Friday. My mom was waiting at the bottom of the hill with Ellie in the stroller when I finished the second hill, so our timing was good (she took Ellie for a walk so I could workout, she's awesome). I cooled down with the stroller a lap and a half around the block to finish with 10 total.

This morning I went running from Sugarhous.  I started on the cemetery loop route, then when I got to 3300s I went up to 2000e to head south some more.  I cut up to 2300e and over to 3900s before turning around.  I ran back mostly along 2000e and then 1700e.  Did a backwards loop on the road in the park when I got back to finish with 10 total.  7:24 average pace.  My body is tired!

This morning I  took the stroller for a run from Liberty Park.  I did 2 laps in the park and then ran out to 3300s and back on 500e.  A bit slower today, 7:48 pace (the way back was quicker because it is slightly downhill... barely) but I felt like it was needed after how I felt yesterday.  If I'm up to it I'm really hoping to get a double in tonight.

Happy Pioneer Day! I did 8 miles in the neighborhood. 7:34 average pace.

This morning I started my run with the stroller from Sugarhouse. About a quarter mile in as I was passing Sizzler, I saw Kate from my team! She was doing a Kenyan run so I didn't run with her, but she was done by the time I got to the opposite corner so I ran with her for about 2 miles of her cool down. I did the cemetery loop route, adding on extra once I got back to 2700s. I found a park on Atkin by Fillmore that has a drinking fountain! That is nice to know for the future. When I have Ellie with me I can take a water bottle. Or take a drink from her sippy cup since she usually falls asleep. Finished back in the park with a backwards lap on the road with 9 total.

It's my birthday!! I don't know about you, but I'm feelin' 22! I did my run from my parent's house so they could babysit. I started along 1300e and ran up to 11th Avenue. Up there it was windy and I got a lot of dirt in my eyes. I was glad then that I didn't have the stroller. I ran down 11th and into City Creek, and up to the drinking fountain. I then turned and ran down Memory Grove. From there I took State Street to South Temple, back up to 1400e through campus for another drinking fountain, then back along 1300e. My hip had a really weird pain towards the end that I had to stop for, not sure where that came from.

I helped with high school cross country camp this afternoon. Because my car is in the shop, I ran there for some mileage. I got about 6 in before I was supposed to meet them (not realizing it would be 45 minutes before we actually took them running) and then did another 2 miles of a loop going up onto Shoreline Trail and then back down and across Legacy Bridge over to the track. Then I got to watch and critique on form as we had them do strides.

9 miles in the morning around the neighborhood. I did my usual route because I'm boring. 7:18 average pace.

This morning I took Ellie in the stroller up City Creek. I went up 4 miles and then turned around. With about 200 meters before the turnaround point I saw a snake! It was smaller than the one I saw several weeks ago, but still a decent size. My guess was a king snake or a gopher snake.

In the afternoon I helped with high school camp again. Jessica and I helped lead the group through a warmup and then ran with them so they could get a feel for threshold effort. Short cooldown and stretching afterwards.

This morning I took Ellie for a run on the Jordan River trail. I was short on time so I was just going to do 7, but when I hit construction just past the 3 mile mark I went ahead and turned around to cut it shorter. 7:31 average pace.