You've got to want it to win it

First run of the new year!  4 miles from my parents house to Sugarhouse Park, a lap around the perimeter, and back.  For having been sick and taking care of sick kids all weekend, I felt a lot better than I thought I would!  I averaged 8:23 pace.  I wish I could be more consistent with getting mileage in, I was really hoping to do the Salt Lake half marathon in April, but unless I can make running a more routine part of my schedule then I may just try to do the 5k or not race at all.  I look up to all moms who have found the time to get back into shape post baby and for getting out and racing again. (Though I like to think that maybe when I'm done done with school that maybe I'll be able to run more then).  (And maybe when it isn't so cold I can take my babies in the double stroller). 

*Also I would like to note I am missing several blog days for December because my phone quit on me and some of the information was in my Garmin app and I didn't have the chance to blog about it.  It sure would be nice if blogging from a mobile device was easier!

4 miles on the treadmill.  Seriously thinking of moving that thing from my parents' basement to my basement. 

Ran a short loop in the neighborhood. Ran up to 900e, over to 2700s, down to 500e, and home.

Got my treadmill moved last night! So tonight I was able to run 2 miles on the treadmill in my basement.

Today is Ellie's second birthday! I did t have much time for a run since I was getting things ready for her party, but I did go for a shorter version of the loop I did Thursday.

30 minutes on the treadmill this morning. I was hoping to go when both kids were asleep, but Ellie woke up right as Elden went down for a nap. Luckily with her though I can put on a movie and trust that she'll be ok. I took breaks at 10 minute intervals just to make sure she was doing ok. It was after that when I was doing core that she did something to my laptop to make it freeze 😳

30 minutes on the treadmill again this morning. I like running for time rather than distance for now, especially on the treadmill since I can push the pace throughout and know I'm just going for time. And if I go the same length of time daily I can compete with myself for distance. 

"Shnow!  Shnow!"  Is what Ellie exclaims when she sees the snow falling outside the windows . It didn't look like it would be stopping anytime soon, so I opted to stay inside and run on the treadmill in my creepy basement.  I got 3.5 miles in just under 30 minutes.

2.5 miles in 20 minutes on the treadmill this morning.  Wish I could have gone longer, but 20 minutes is better than not at all!

My baby kept me up from 4-6 this morning coughing :(  But when Jesse got up to work at 6 I opted for sleep instead of running.  This afternoon after getting home from work and the grocery store, I got both of my kids to nap so I could go running!  That lasted about 16 minutes when my baby woke up, but I'm glad I at least got 16 minutes in!  Running on the treadmill isn't as awful as I used to think it was, probably because I've gotten used to having to miss runs.  I can't wait for it to get warm enough to take my babies out in the stroller!  And Elden will be big enough to not have to use the carseat adapter, which will be nice.  And he almost weighs as much as Ellie, so I won't have to worry about the stroller constantly being pulled to one side ;) 

2 miles after work on the treadmill.

Got up later than I had hoped this morning but realized with ok time management I could still get 20 minutes in.  So that's what I did.

My goal was to get 30 minutes this morning.  I wasn't up early enough to run before Jesse had to leave so I had to go on the treadmill.  My baby started crying at 29:30...  Close enough.

Morning run in the neighborhood.  I'm glad the sun is rising earlier so it isn't dark and creepy during the time I have allotted to get my running in!  Ran along 700e to the Sugarhood and back home along 500e.  

Warm spring (ok well almost spring) morning today!  My baby woke me up an extra 15 minutes before my alarm so I got an extra 15 minutes of running in more than I had planned :)  I should probably just set my alarm 15 minutes early always because it's a little awkward when 30 minutes feels rough in the last few minutes and I used to do ~80 minutes a day...  I'll get back there eventually... Maybe.  

Another morning run :)  It was so nice outside at 54 degrees!  I did the same loop as yesterday but backwards, and I came back along 500e instead.  

3 miles on the treadmill. I was full of mom guilt with the events that occurred during my run. After getting home from work, Ellie took off her shoes and socks but would not put them away like she usually does and knows she is supposed to. After putting her in timeout 3 times 😢 she still wouldn't do it, so I finally gave in and gave her a bottle and put her down to nap 😴  I ran 3 miles on the treadmill but towards the end the baby monitor kept cutting out so I went upstairs to see what was going on. Ellie had finished her bottle, and then put her shoes away 😭😭😭 (and turned off the baby monitor, and was starting to wake Elden up). Anyway, I always appreciate the time I get to run and the time I get to spend with my babies 💗

Had a rough night involving a diaper blowout requiring a change of sheets and a bath in the middle of the night. I'm thankful for getting to sleep in on Saturday mornings! And I got to go for a run around noonish. I ran to Cottonwood Complex and did a lap around the baseball diamonds before returning home.

Sometines I hate when I incorrectly predict my kids naptimes and opportune moments to run on the treadmill. Today though I thought there would be a chance that I might be able to run outside, so I procrastinated and baked cupcakes while my babies napped. And I did the dishes. And then I did core (it's almost impossible to do core when Ellie is awake because she thinks I am playing and she comes over and climbs on me 🙃), and then decided I'd hop on the treadmill to run. 1.6 miles later, Elden woke up. 🙂

3.2 miles on the treadmill before I heard Ellie saying, "Hi, Mama!" From the top of the stairs. :)

Ran in the neighborhood this morning.  I ran along 500e to 2100s, then turned around.  At 2700s I cut down to 300e and ran home along there.  It was cold this morning!  At least compared to the warmth of the basement while running on the treadmill.  But I was glad to be up early enough to run before work and not have to go on the treadmill afterwards.

Beautiful day today!  Well, sort of.  At least it was warm(er than it has been).  Jesse and I took our babies to the Jordan River trail today for a run.  We started at 4800s and went south.  It was our first time using our double stroller this year!  And Elden has grown enough that he doesn't need to be in the carseat for it anymore! Jesse just wanted 2 miles and I wanted at least 4, so the field and playground that are a mile in were great!  Jesse brought his drone with and flew it around while Ellie played at the playground, and I kept going.  At 13 minutes I decided I should probably do something if I'm going to try to bring my average pace down on and get into any sort of racing shape.  So I did a 10 by 1 minute hard 1 minute easy.  By the time I finished that I had brought my average pace from an 8:46 to a 7:46!  The last 3 sets I was back by the field where Jesse and Ellie were so Jesse experimented with having the drone follow me.  It felt nice to get out there and push myself today.  I've got a lot more work to do if I'm going to try racing this spring or summer though.  After I finished, Jesse let me fly the drone and I played on the playground with Ellie.  And I did 3 pull ups!!!  When we were done I pushed the stroller for the last mile back to the car.

Ran from my parents house this afternoon.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did 2 laps around, and back.  I'm glad I did the extra lap more than what I had planned originally.  If I'm going to be serious about running some road races, I've got to log some miles...  I'm not trying to make excuses, but it is difficult to find time to run with a toddler, a baby, a part-time job, and graduate school.  I appreciate every time I do manage to squeeze a run in.  

I like early out Fridays.  Getting to work earlier is rough, but at least I know then I don't have time to run instead of thinking about it on the other days.  Early out means I have a little extra time before dinner to get stuff done, and today that was a 6 mile run.  I ran from my parents house again (grandparents are the free babysitters), this time up to Wasatch Drive and above the zoo.  Then I ran down Sunnyside to Foothill, and looped around to Guardsman before going back to their house to make it a full 6.  It was windy, but the wind chill wasn't actually that bad until I got to Foothill.  

5 miles on the treadmill after work.  Jesse was home, so he watched the kids and I didn't have to worry about the baby monitor :)  Would have gone outside but Jesse's car was in the shop and it was near closing time, so we were waiting for a call for me to give him a ride to pick his car up.  I'm sure glad I was able to run this afternoon since I missed a morning run.  I turned off my 6:45 alarm when I was just going back to bed at 6:30 after nursing Elden.  Sometimes sleep just wins. 

7 miles this morning!  Longest run post-baby so far!  He's going to be 6 months old sometime between today and tomorrow, he doesn't really get a half birthday since February 30th doesn't exist.  I ran from my house up to 700e, over to 2700s, and up to 20th east.  Once I got above 1300e my run was much more enjoyable since I didn't have to stop at lights every 2 blocks.  At 20th e I ran across to 33rd and then back down.  I added on a little bit in the neighborhood before getting to 1300e because I knew I would be short of 7 when I got back home.  8:08 average.  I think it was also my fastest average pace, not counting 1 or 2 milers post-baby.  I'm really glad I was able to get in some miles this morning. :)

I had a really hard time deciding to get out of bed this morning.  But I'm so glad I did!  At least I was glad when I was done.  Today I ran up to 700e, over to 3900s, up to 900e, over to 2700s, and back to my house.  7:33 average!  I told myself that the faster I ran, the sooner I'd be done :)  And I knew Jesse needed to get to class and wanted to make sure I left him enough time to leave on time for his class.  3 days of running in a row, I'm feeling great about this week!  Maybe if I can keep this up, I will sign up for the Salt Lake half afterall (hoping that by getting my hopes up doesn't cause some curse to ruin this running streak).  Otherwise, I think I will at least sign up for the 5k.  

Didn't make it out the door this morning but Jesse was home from work before it got dark (I'm so glad the days are getting longer!) so I was able to run in the afternoon. I ran to Liberty park and back. :) 

New longest run post baby! We went to the Jordan River trail today. I pushed the stroller the first mile, then left the kids with Jesse at the playground while I got the rest of my miles in. I ran out 4 and then on the way back did 10 sets of one minute hard 1 minute easy. Total average pace was 7:47.

Short on time this morning since I had an early appointment, but when I was done I squeezed in a 4 mile run before I had to go to work. 

7 miles, same route as last Tuesday. Then to celebrate pancake day, I made banana pancakes! They were way better than any free pancakes IHOP could deliver. 

5 miles, same route as last Wednesday. I'm feeling pretty great about getting out 3 mornings in a row now! The lighter mornings help. I think I can appreciate the winters I ran through a lot more now that I wasn't able to get out as much this winter. But getting used to the new neighborhood and more sunlight are awesome.

Limited on time this morning but I still appreciate that I was able to get up and run :)  I ran up to 1300e, over to Cottonwood Complex, and then out along 1100e and back home.  5.55 is a cool number. :)

Long(ish) run on the Jordan River Trail today. Now that 8 miles is considered my "long" run, I see how it actually was crazy that I used to run 10-12 miles a day in college...  But I had a lot less going on back then, so it makes sense that it was just natural to build up to and maintain that.  I pushed the stroller the first 2 miles until Jesse turned around.  We aired up the tires of the Bob right before we started and it was soooo much better than last week!  My average pace didn't drop that much after I left Jesse with the stroller.  I went out to 4 miles and then turned around.  When I got back, I did 10 strides to finish with 8.5 total.

Missed running this morning.  Courtesy of daylight savings.  It was such a beautiful day though that I didn't even mind, after work I took the opportunity to take my babies to Liberty Park.  I originally just planned on 3 or 4.5 since I wasn't sure I wanted to do more with the stroller.  Jesse was meeting me with the drone afterwards though, and both my kids fell asleep, so I did another lap while I was waiting and made it a full 6.  8:20 average pace (I owe that to Liberty since the sidewalks are smooth and I'm able to let the stroller coast most of the time).  When I was done I was kind of wishing we had done the drone first so the kids could enjoy it.  Oh well.

7 miles in the morning.  I did my 7 mile loop same as the last 2 weeks.  I need to get more creative, but with lower mileage and being as far west as I am I am lacking in creativity.  Average pace 8:16.  Considering yesterday's pace with the stroller (even if it was at Liberty) I know I could have picked it up... my heart rate said so also, it was 106 right after I finished.

Went to Moab last week, had a wonderful time, and for the first time ever since high school I took a trip and didn't go running!  We did plenty of hiking though (well, as much as we could put the kids through... Ellie was determined to walk on her own every hike) so I know I got my physical activity in.  It was so nice to get away and a much needed break, and we finally got adjusted to daylight savings!  But it also meant Jesse had class this morning, so I didn't have much time to run.  Pushed the pace to get 7:40 average.  HR 126.

I was feeling guilty about not getting up and running before work, but then when I got on instagram during my lunch break and saw that Giselle had posted about doing a workout at Sugarhouse in the evening, I was glad I missed a morning run :)  So I met up with her and the guys for the Tuesday night race series for a workout.  We warmed up 1 lap around the road and then a few strides.  It's nice not having to do a full length warmup like in college... There are some perks of not being a student-athlete anymore!  Giselle picked the workout, she decided on fartlek of 3 minutes on, 2 off, 1 minute on hard, 2 off between sets.  We just did them around the road in the park, so there were some hills but it was good for us.  We did 4 sets total.  For cooldown we continued on the lap we were on and I was going to stop at 7, but then I saw my cousin, Carissa!  She was running the other way, so I turned around and ran with her :)  I ran with her until we got to the tunnel and she went home, but first we took a selfie ;)  Finished with 8 total.  I'm definitely gonna be sore tomorrow, but I'm glad I finally got in a workout post-baby (not counting 1 minute on 1 minute off fartleks...).

5.5 miles morning run in the neighborhood.  In the rain.  It was cold!! But a very nice run.  I enjoyed a nice hot shower when I was done.  Then I watched Netflix and drank hot cocoa.  Just kidding, I had to get ready for work.

Mile repeats at Liberty Park today!  I warmed up a lap and then to the next painted mile marker, then did a few drills and 2 strides before starting.  My goal was 3-4 1 mile repeats at 6:10-6:15 pace.  I wasn't really sure what to expect since this was my first mile repeat workout in who knows how long...  Anyway, on the first on I ran a 6:09 :)  then took 2 minutes jogging recovery before the next one.  6:08 :)  feeling great about the consistency.  The last one was a struggle but I still managed a 6:08 :)  Cooled down around the perimeter of the park to get 7 total.  I'm glad I had the chance to workout and that it went well.  I'm still deciding between goals for racing, I was hoping to do the Salt Lake half but don't feel ready, so am considering the 5k.  I should just make up my mind and sign up.  

Went running dark and early this morning! I met up with Emily, Sarah, and Nan for a long run. Ellie woke me up plenty early to make sure I'd be on time! We ran out of the park and then down to the Jordan River trail. Then we ran along the trail to I think 6200s-ish (not sure the exact coordinates) and then back up to Murray park. We were just over 8 at that point, so to get me up to 10 we ran around the outside of the park. My average pace was 7:43 :) and it was my first double digit run since having Elden! And I enjoyed getting to be outside before it started raining, especially since it rained the rest of the day. When I got home, Ellie was sound asleep on the couch 😴

This morning I ran a new-ish route.  I ran up to 500e, over to 2700s, up to 1700e, and to Sugarhouse park.  Just before Highland, I cut down through the park and did a partial lap on the road before exiting through the tunnel and running through Hidden Hollow.  Then I ran past Fairmont to 900e, took that back to 2700s, and from there 700e and home.  Great run to start the week!

This evening I went to Sugarhouse Park so I could do a workout on the track at Highland.  I did a partial lap around the perimeter of the park and then on the road for warmup.  I forgot about the newly constructed baseball and softball fields so I had to run up and around to get onto the track. I did some strides and drills when I got there, and then started my workout.  My goal was to do 3 sets of 4 400s with 90 seconds rest between each and 1 lap/3 minutes after each set.  My goal time was 1:25, but having not done them in more than a year I wasn't really sure what to expect.  My first one was a 1:19, so I backed off a little bit and hit 1:22, 1:22, 1:23 for the next 3.  On the next set my times were 1:23, 1:22, 1:21, 1:23.  I was struggling to feel a consistency and get into a rhythm.  I was worried about backing off too much and missing the 85.  But I was glad that I seemed to be pretty consistent around 1:22.  On the final set I got a 1:24 on the first one, and then switched to 200s for the remaining reps with equal 200 jog.  My times on the 2s were 39, 41, 42. Cutting them to 200s was a good call.  For cooldown I ran another lap like I had on the warmup to finish wiith 8.13 total.

Morning run in the neighborhood.  I ran over to 2700s, up to 900e, over to 3900s, and home.  7:54 average pace.

Another morning run today.  This time I ran over to 2100s, up to 900e, over to 3300s and home.  7:55 average.  I am feeling Tuesday night's workout more than I felt it yesterday... Planning on mile repeats tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.

Didn't end up running... Planning on threshold workout next Tuesday instead.

Met up with Andrea, Kate, and Lauren for a long run this morning.  We were all going different distances, but Lauren arranged it to get as much group running as possible.  She needed 22, Kate needed 18, Andrea needed 15, and I was planning on doing 11.  Lauren started early and 4 miles down the trail, then the rest of us met up with her in South Jordan by 10900 south.  The run just flew by!  I was surprised when we were already close to 5 miles... then 5.5... and I wanted to just keep running with them, but at 6 I knew I had better turn so I would be able to finish running back to my car.  On the way back I didn't recognize the way, then realized I must have gone a different path that connected to the one we had been on.  But I got back onto the Jordan River Trail eventually.  Another missed turn a few miles later, but running into some houses I knew that wasn't right so quickly correct my mistake.  And then once again when I was almost back to my car I didn't cross a bridge that I forgot we had crossed at the beginning.  But I made it back to my car eventually and was only a little over 6.  I am so glad I was able to get out and do another great long run this morning!  Probably a bit longer than I need since Jesse and I signed up for the Salt Lake 5k, but I do want to do a half marathon in the next few months anyway so building mileage is good. :)  7:43 average pace.

My lower back started aching Sunday night and was persistent through Monday, so I took an extra day off.  I am hoping it is just muscular... It hurts when I flex my lumbar spine or if I tilt the top of my pelvis posteriorly.  I suspect that it may be due to dancing in high heels for a couple hours on Saturday night or poor ergonomics while carrying my 20 pound baby in the carseat, or carrying either of my kids around the house...  Anyway, this evening I took a trip down memory lane and went to campus to go pool running.  It's weird how fast my years on campus flew by... Even though I'm still in school.  My classes are in a building a mile away from main campus, and my class right now is online so I don't even really need to come to campus except for exams.  

Anyway, my workout.  I started with a 5 minute warmup and then did 6 sets of 3 minutes hard 2 minutes easy.  The first 3 sets felt great, the last 3 got more difficult with each one.  My heart rate when I checked at the end of each one was around 150-158 (around 76-80% of my MHR) so the effort was good.  When I stretched afterwards I was able to get a little more range of motion in my lower back than I had previously, hopefully it heals up on it's own and feels 100% in another day or 2.

Short run in the neighborhood to see how my back would tolerate it.  At 2 miles it was feeling ok so I kept going and finished with 4.26 total.

Crazy busy the last half of the week as it was Jesse's birthday and I had a huge project due for school... Only 3 weeks left of the semester!  Then a 270 hour practicum and 6 more credit hours... I can do this!  It felt nice to get up early and run again.  I ran over to 2700s, up to 2300e, over to 3300s, and down.  Coming down 33rd I hit my toe on the sidewalk crack and completely wiped out... I was at least able to lean and land on the grass, but I tore a hole in the knee of my tights.  Not looking forward to seeing the bruise.  As I laid on the ground I wished I had just stayed in bed, but my iPod was singing "Try again as you did before..." So I had to get up and finish.  And I needed to get home sooo yeah.

Happy birthday, Mom!

This morning I got up and out the door early again.  This time I ran along 500e, over to 1700s, up to 1100e, and south.  I haven't been in the Sugarhouse area in a while I guess since I wasn't aware there was a Coldstone Creamery!  And all those other places and apartments on top of it.  I ran over to 2700s (by that time I was on Highland Drive) and then down and back home.  My back started hurting again as I was getting ready for work, so I'm kinda worried that running may be triggering the pain... I may have to spend a few days in the pool.  Good thing it's finally spring break at my school (Thursday, Friday, and Monday... short but hey it's a break!) so I'll have time to do that.

Long course hours at Crimson Lagoon were 6-8 AM, so I was determined to make it.  At least I was last night, this morning I turned off all 3 of my alarms as they went off... But then Ellie appeared by the side of my bed, so after getting up and helping her get back to bed I decided I should just get up and go to the pool.  So I did.  When I tried to pay for parking, I forgot that meters don't even start until 8!  So I got free parking, which was awesome.  For my pool running workout I started with a 5 minute warmup and then did 2 sets of 1-2-3-2-1 (minutes) with 1 minute rest after each.  HR was 162 or 82% MHR.  My back has still been hurting, though not as bad as it was Tuesday. Of course this would happen after I finally commit to running at Salt Lake and signed up for the 5k.  If it weren't for that, I would probably just have taken the day off.  So I guess it is good that I am at least still working out.  

Easter Egg (and house) hunt in Bountiful this morning meant later afternoon run. I ran from my house over to 2700s, up to 1700e, over to Sugarhouse Park, and through the tunnel and Hidden Hollow back down towards my house.  7:37 average pace, which was a nice surprise since I wasn't expecting to be able to do that after taking a few days off... But I guess pool running is a great way to build cardiovascular endurance.

Enjoyed my last day of spring break (only 5 weeks left of school...) by taking my babies in the stroller at Liberty Park.  I opted for the park so I could go by feel if I needed to cut it short.  I decided 2 laps was enough, my kids are getting heavy!  8:32 average pace.  Then I took my babies to the playground.  Ellie was asleep, but Elden enjoyed the swings.

Track workout in the rain.  I was determined to get this workout in, despite text messages from my mom and husband asking if I had looked at the weather... Yes, I had looked at the forecast, saw 100% chance of rain, but not lightning, so I was still planning on it.  To save time, rather than drive to Liberty Park after dropping my kids off at my parents house, I just ran to the East High track to run there.  I forgot they had redone the track!  It was nice!  Also, the stadium lights were on because there was football practice, so that was a plus.  It is 1 mile to the track from their house, so I did another lap and then some drills and 2 strides.  I love being able to shorten my warmups since I'm not in college or high school anymore and I can do what I want. :)  My goal was to do 2 by 1 mile threshold and then 2 800 thresholds with 20% timed recovery.  The first mile I got 6:06 then 6:10, then 3:07 and 3:10 on the 800s.  The wind was picking up towards the end so each time I was on the north stretch it just got harder and harder.  And I got more and more soaked.  I had my rain jacket, so my shirt was dry, but the outer layer, my shorts, and socks and shoes were drenched!  I was fortunate to find an extra hat at my parents house before starting since I had forgot to grab mine on my way out the door.  Feeling just ok on my times, I wish I could have had a little more consistency, but then again for running this alone in the pouring rain and by myself I have to give myself some credit.  Also when I looked at the splits in the garmin app later the 4 laps came up at 1.07 and 1.06 (5:41 and 5:43 mile pace?) and the 2 laps came up at .54 (5:49 and 5:53 mile pace).  Cooled down back to my parents house to finish with 6 miles total.

Jesse's and my new shoes arrived yesterday!  We ordered from Amazon, it's a lot cheaper than going to the running company.  Ran in them this morning :)  I did a 5 mile loop.  I ran along 500e over to 2700s, up to 900e, over to 3900s, and down to 500e and home to complete the loop.  Still a little sore from Tuesday night, but I think the soreness will be gone by Saturday.

Wasn't planning on having time to run today since I have to work early, and I had a test this afternoon and needed to go to the race expo to get my packet, but I was up at 5:45 with my kids anyway so after I got them taken care of I did a 3 mile run and stretched afterwards.  I'm excited to race tomorrow!

Race day!  Elden woke me up 2 minutes before my first alarm, and there's no snooze button on a baby so I had to get up.  But it was good so I could get up and moving and ready to go for the race.  We arrived at the course around 6:30.  Find out the "official start time" is 7:10 instead of 7, so a little relieved to have an extra 10 minutes warmup.  I did about 2 miles warmup and then strides and drills.  As I lined up at the start I noticed some high school boys and thought they might be good to pace with.  And another girl who also hopped in at the start closer to the race time.  My goal was to do sub 18 pace (which would need to be a really good day, but I did sub 18 my first race back from having Ellie... even though my miles were higher then.  I had at least done some speed before this one though).  When the race went out, I had guessed right on who would be going out quick from the high school kids.  I didn't go out super hard as I didn't want to crash and burn (though it's just 3 miles, what was I thinking? I was thinking it would be a long 3 miles if I went out too hard. I forgot how fast it goes when you're racing).  There were 2 girls ahead of me, but I told myself they would come back to me.  And one of them did about 3/4 of a mile in.  But one didn't, so while I decided I would just use the time to close the gap, that didn't happen.  For a little while I was running next to a guy and it seemed like the gap may have been shrinking, but after a while he took off and I didn't go with.  My first mile was in the 5:40s.  After Tuesday's track workout, it seemed reasonable.  But the girl up ahead had gone through in about 5:30.  It seemed the rest of the time I was just watching the gap get bigger and bigger.  I kept telling myself the gap would close eventually, but nope.  And in my mind I was making up excuses, "I've got an 8 month old baby.  I only run 2-4 days a week most weeks.  I only got a 2 hour and a 3 hour stretch of sleep last night"  But I had to tell myself to stop it.  After I had Ellie and was training and racing cross country, I had to tell myself many times that despite what the sports nutrition team would say about sleep and performance, my performance wasn't dependent on how much sleep I got.  My mile 2 split was around 12:20.  I had slowed down a lot.  My finishing time was 19:18 (on my watch) 19:19 according to the race results.  The winning time was 17:50.  I lost the race in the beginning when I let that girl go and assumed I'd catch up.  Big mistake.  I recognize that 2nd place is still an accomplishment.  But I am still disappointed that when it was time to go for my goal, I wasn't ready to work for it.  For a 5k I had conserved too much and didn't lay enough out there.  From this point I think I need to choose another race and work on my efforts.  I would love to run a half marathon, which means I need to be more consistent with my runs and overall mileage.  I will be done with my class at the U next week, which will be nice.  Two races I am looking at are the Ogden half marathon in May or the Utah Valley half marathon in June.  Part of me wants to do Ogden since it is sooner, but another part of me is saying wait until June to give myself more time to get ready.  I could also find another 5k or maybe a 10k in between to lead up to it.  Even though today's race didn't go as I wanted it to (because I didn't want to work hard enough when the moment arrived), it still makes a decent workout for leading up to something longer.  At the pace I was going I felt I could keep going for a little bit, though my endurance is nowhere near that for a half marathon yet.  Next week (or after I finish my schoolwork) I'll take a look at some races coming up and make a plan from there.

Nice morning run.  I ran over to 2700s, up to Imperial Street, over to 3300s, and home.  

Went to bed sick last night, woke up still sick.  

Am feeling much better as far as not having chills or headaches or feeling lightheaded when I'm up and about.  After looking on WebMD I think I have Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, which is a virus that causes blisters on the feet... it hurts to walk :(  

Evening run.  I felt better before I started, I guess being sick is still taking a toll on my body.  Had to turn around at 2 miles.

Today wasn't really a run after the first few minutes.  I went running with Liz at the Jordan River Trail.  We ran the first few minutes, then took a walk break, then ran some more, walked some more, eventually ended up just walking the rest of the way.  It was nice to talk and exercise at the same time (even if it wasn't running, it was still exercise!)

This week I've been wanting to make sure I get some good core work in so that my lower back will stop hurting.  So I made a rule that I need to do the core first so that I don't run out of time later or get too busy with the kids.  This morning and yesterday morning were devoted to core instead of running.  Tonight I went for a run... after eating dinner at Zupa's.  It did not sit well and I had to stop and walk twice.  I guess I don't have that food tolerance like I used to, I guess that's something that needs training too.  Anyhow, I'm glad I at least got out for a short run.

Evening run in the neighborhood.  I nearly forgot how much nicer running in the mornings in the summer is, not only because of the cooler temperature but the creepy people aren't out.  There were 4 teenagers, 2 on bikes, along 500e and the bikers would bike up to me and back to their friends repeatedly... I was glad when I finally lost them when I turned up 2100s.  I ran up to 900e, then over to 3300s and home. 7:40 average pace!  A welcome surprise after Tuesdays run.  I have been lifting twice a week and I think having the extra leg muscle strength helps.  Another welcome surprise, my back didn't hurt at all!  Core makes a huge difference too.

Family run today!  As the day went on and we still hadn't gone running I was feeling a bit frustrated about not having a routine and missing the days when 12 miles every day was no problem and I had all the time in the world.  But I'm glad we were able to make it a family run.  It's challenging to find a balance.  And hard not to feel guilty for wanting some time to myself to just run and actually train so I can do some summer road races.  It's difficult to want to run alone though when your daughter in the stroller is saying "I'm coming, Daddy!  Are you coming, Mama?" Yes.  I'm coming.  I'm pushing the stroller so you'll always be a step ahead of me, but I'm coming.  I pushed the stroller to 2.1 when Jesse turned around.  Then I kept going out until I was at 23 minutes.  Dropped 24 seconds on my average pace after Jesse took the stroller.  5.16 total.  And I saw Demetrio when we were finishing.  

What a beautiful morning!  Didn't think I was going to get up early since Jesse and I stayed up watching a movie after the kids went to sleep, but when Elden woke me up at 6:30 I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep because I'd had a solid 6.5 hours... so after getting him to go back to sleep, I got up and did core, went running, and finished with stretching in the backyard!  I ran my loop up to 2000e and 2700s.  7:38 average pace :)  I think the core is making a difference more than anything right now... Better late than never!  And I'm definitely looking forward to being done teaching for the school year in 2.5 more weeks!

Another beautiful morning!  I'm glad I was able to enjoy a run.   I ran over to 2700s, up to 900e, over to 3300s, and home.  

Started with core this morning, then 4 miles.  Finished with stretching.