I Can Do Hard Things

58:13 minutes  AP 8:25

Mile Splits (8:55, 8:29, 8:41, 9:00 big long hill, 8:09, 7:59, 6:57 big down hill)

I heard the best quote today...Doctors can't prescribe something better for the soul than a beautiful spring day.  Today's weather SO boosted my spirits.  I got a bunch of house cleaning done (even opened a few window)..yucky cleaning that I hate to do!

I was suppose to do 6 miles today.  My favorite route was partially closed due to construction, so I totally winged it.  I thought I needed to add on about .5-.75miles to my made up route because I thought I would be short, but ended up going WAY over my mileage for the day. 

This run was a real mental booster for me.  I went a lot faster than I had planned on and felt really strong during those hills.  This run give me hope that I am getting stronger and faster (or maybe it is just a fluke!).

36:06 minutes

I am always sore when I do an evening run, then an early morning run.  But sore is all...no ankle or knee issues.  FANTASTIC!  

I decided to go to the gym way early this morning and get my workout done (instead of doing it during preschool time...needed to head to the temple).  Oh those early mornings work me over in the tired department.

But I went slow and stopped and stretched a bunch!  I feel really good today and am still riding off yesterday's high.

Hope I can get some biking in tomorrow.

A quality rest day!  30 minutes on the bikes 2x 2 min intervals at level 20.

Painted my pantry today and it is beautiful!  

42:13 minutes

Bike 20 minutes with a few level 20, 2 min intervals

The run felt very very good today. No achy ankles or knees.  But I was a bit sore from the bike yesterday.  With this dumb mini spring coming up, I need to spend a lot more time on the bike....but I'm just so slow on it!

1:11:44 (AP 8:58) (9:46, 9:14, 9:02, 9:09 - said good bye to the gals, 8:42, 8:37, 8:52, 8:18)

What a fantastic run and morning!  I'm always a little nervous about running with people I haven't run with before. .....I'm afraid they will leave me in the dust.  But I felt like I was kinda on the same pace as Smooth, Karen, Luzy Lew and Rachel (or they were being really nice and slowing down to hang with me!!).

The weather was perfect and lots of great conversation.  It was so fun to get to know everyone better.  4 miles arrived so quickly and I was sad to say good bye (but not too sad that I didn't run 15 miles)!  The 4 miles back were not nearly as fun!

My ankle and knees feel really good.  I even got a massage today (my favorite gal had to reschedule a few times) and oh man....It was fantastic.  I think I'm going to make this a regular occurrence.  Thankfully, she is very affordable and neighbor!

Thanks for a wonderful wonderful run gals!

Smooth....here are a few more of my girlies in their dresses:

46:45 minutes

Oh it is so hard to get up on Monday mornings.  I drag all day long...then it snowed.  Kinda depressing.

I felt really great on my run today...even though it was slow.  I am always slow on the TM.  Oh well.  No ankle or knee aches.  Life is good!

54:14 minutes

I slept in this morning and it was heavenly!  Headed to the gym when my hubby got home.  They had "We are Marshall" in the cardio cinema and enjoyed a good movie for 54 minutes.  I LOVE football movies.  They are so motivating.

I biked for 15 minutes after....I suck at biking.  I had some dental work done today, so every time I would take a drink of my COLD water, my nerves in my mouth would go crazy.  

56:20 minutes

Have you ever been so dog-tired that you can hardly drive home from the gym?  That is me today! I had to get up even earlier (4:45am), so I could get my 6 miles in before hubby had to leave for work.

The back to back workouts WEAR ME OUT!  So it was a slow go on the TM.  I watched some dumb show on the cooking channel (it was like an amazing race).  I stopped every 2 miles to stretch.  My right shins started bugging me today. 

I didn't get much of a nap after the gym (the kids woke up really early because it was "backwards" day at school and they were excited).  Then I had to go on a preschool field trip to Cabelas.  I could hardly stay awake.

30 minutes of yoga, icing and ankle exercises.....NOW I am going to take a nap.  A BIG BIG BIG nap.

40 minutes

My goal was to go as slow as I could.  My body felt so "rickety" all day.  Weird things ached...places that have never hurt before.  My right glute/lower back was on FIRE.  I may have slept on it weird.  I don't know how you all run a gazillion miles a week.  I feel like I am falling apart!

But my slow slow slow run was just what I needed.  Most of the achiness went away.  Plus the weather was beautiful.....a shorts and t-shirt kind of a day. 

Lots of stretching throughout the day and ice after the run.

Rest day tomorrow...Rex Lee 10K on Saturday.  The first race of the year.  My goal is just to finish.  I need to have a starting point for racing goals.

AP (8:26)

I took my two big girls to see Little Women last night at the Salt Lake Children's Theater.  It was a great distraction from thinking about the race. 

I've been kinda nervous about this 10K...but I don't know why.  I know I'm starting "all over" having taken a year off from my stress fracture and  I've really only been training since the end of December, but I think I have magical powers that make me race like a speedster.  I know it is going to take me a lot longer than 3 months to get faster!

This was my hubby's first 10K and I was really excited for him.  There weren't a lot of runners, but enough to feel like a race. I warmed up 1 mile.

1-8:55 Lots of trying to get around people and find my groove

2-9:07 LONG, slow uphill.  I passed a lot of people, but it was definitely a hard mile. A long mile.

3-7:53 Start of the long downhill.  My lower back started to hurt....not sure if this was because of the downhill.  But I thought to myself, go fast while the fast is going.  I had some older guy come from behind me.  We stayed together for a lot of this mile.  He was my "go-to" guy.  He would pull ahead and I would follow.  Thanks guy!

4-8:03 Still down hill and feeling good, but lower back still sore.

5-8:23 The course started to flatten out here.  It is hard when you've been flying down hill and then it takes "effort" to keep up the speed.  I was starting to get to that "puke" zone.  I chilled out a tad and was hoping it would go away.  Kinda.

6-8:26 I just kept saying to myself, "Just don't puke! Just don't puke! Just don't puke".  Once I got onto the track, I saw some of our friends and family, gave them the pump fist and finished strong.  The stinky part of the end of the race was NO WATER - you had to walk to the other end of the track.  I wanted to run Tim in, but I just saw him enter the track. So I cheered obnoxiously for him.  He did a fantastic job (54 minutes).  This is his first 10K and he's only run a few 6 mile runs.  Hooray for him.

.2-1:13

I cooled down 1.5 miles.  Perfect weather for the race...shorts and t-shirt.  Lots of people had on tights, hats, gloves....I was just sweating looking at them!

So overall, I feel like I ran a "decent" race.  An 8:26 average is about the fastest that I've done on a long run....so that seems right.  But I'm ready to be faster. I'm ready for a nap!

**I just saw the posted results - HAH! I got 3rd in my age group!  Hot dog!

2 miles on stairclimber to warm up (counting towards running miles cause it is as HARD as running)

3 miles - AP 10:00

Holy moly did I have a hard weekend.  I must have done something during that 10K on Saturday cause my hiney has been on FIRE on weekend.  The very top of my right glute has been in a constant spasm.  I've done lots of stretching and sat on a heating pad.  Hubby used his elbow to try and work out the mess and that did seem to help.

Holy cow...what is the deal? 

After a little on-line research, I bought some tennis balls today and rolled around on those.  It hurt like the dickens while doing it, but felt better after.  Running is definitely hard on the body.

Other than that issue, I really feel great.  No aches or pains from the race, just a pain in the butt.

BIKE:   6.84 miles - 30:23

RUN:  6.0 miles - 52:05 AP:  8:42

(9:26 - big giant hill...nice way to start a run, 8:59, 8:45, 8:43, 8:13, 7:56)

It was such a beautiful day that I wanted to spend as much time outside as possible.  So I pumped up my bike tires (sorta...hubby had to help...my bike boy!).  I didn't have lots of time since I wanted to run too.  I did my hilliest route and enjoyed every minute of it.  My hiney didn't hurt at all.

When I got home, I quickly changed into running shorts (don't like to run in biking shorts), grabbed my hat and a drink of water and headed out.  I didn't remember how sore my piformis was today until I started running.  My first mile - it was really sore, but the soreness eased with the miles.

I totally winged my running route today...and it was nice.  I had no idea how far it was, but ended up being exactly 6 miles...just what I needed.

I went to the chiropractor today and got adjusted.  Sometimes I think *they* don't work, but today I did.  I also got e-stim on my sore area. And my hiney was SO SO sore today.  I rolled around on the tennis ball a lot and did lots of stretching.

I was really surprised with my time today....pretty close to my race on Saturday.  NICE!

55:something

I ended up going to the gym after I dropped off my youngest at preschool.  My hiney is feeling so much better after that adjustment yesterday, all the stretching and icing,  Hooray!

It was a good run...just average.  But the gym was SO hot today.  Somebody needs to turn off the heat!

BIKE:  7.39 miles (32:22)

RUN:  10 miles (AP 9:03) 9:38, 9:26, 9:08, 9:15, 9:16, 8:58, 8:56, 8:49, 8:49, 8:04)

I had to do my long run today because I had too many scheduling conflicts for tomorrow. 

10 miles alone....FUN!  I dropped my youngest off at preschool and ran from the school.  I don't know the area as well, so I totally winged the course.  Lots of turns...I was hoping I would be able to find my way back!  Thankfully, I did!

It was a bit breezy outside, so it took me a few miles to warm up and get into my groove.  I stopped at mile 4 and 7 for water and a few jelly beans.

Now that is has been several hours since I have run, I still feel really good.  No major soreness or weird aches, but we will see.  I've been running a lot more weekly miles and I think that has helped my longer weekend runs.

After picking up my youngest from preschool, I dropped her off at her cousins house and decided to ride the tri bike course.  It was still windy out, so I didn't do the full course....just the curvy and hilly parts.  Oh man.....is that a big hill (400 S in Orem).  My second time up the hill, my quads started shaking.  They were tired!

That is all I have done today (I did get a shower in, thank goodness).  Good thing I don't do this all the time or my house would look like a war zone.

45:43 minutes

I thought for sure my legs would feel hammered after yesterday's long run....but I was SO wrong!  I ran on the TM at the gym (too wimpy for the wind) and was planning on a slow run (TM runs are always slower for me), but I felt a spring in my step and there was no achiness at all.  I went a little faster than I had planned.  Wonderful!  

Off to In n Out for a pig out fest!

Time: 37:36

This is a designated easy week for me.  I have had 3 consecutive weeks of building my mileage and want to do this training thing right.  No more injuries or other shenanagins.

 AND I have lots of stuff to do around the house.  I need to finish painting the master bedroom and bathroom - that is first.  Plus I have some major sewing stuff to do as well.  So it is a perfect week.

Run felt good and easy.  My legs felt fairly fresh, but kept the mileage and pace low.  Lots of stretching after.

Time:  34:03 (AP 8:07)       (8:50 BIG LONG hill, 8:23, 7:46, 7:37, 1:25/7:24)

I'm really enjoying my designated easy week.  The sleeping in and not as many hours training is great!  I finally finished painting my master bedroom and bath and am very pleased with the results.  During all my painting pondering hours, I decided I want to paint my entertainment center next.  But first I have to catch up on some sewing stuff.

Beautiful day for a run...shorts and t-shirt.  I ate a bunch of junk today and it felt like lead in my stomach.  Darn Easter candy!  I clicked my Garmin on and listened for beeps, but didn't look at the time.  I was really huffing and puffing......feeling a bit disturbed by this, I looked down at my watch and realized that I was going WAY faster than I had planned (9 minute mile). 

I decided to keep the pace for as long as I could.  I had .5 mile till home and I was at puke phase.  I didn't let up and just hoped to make it.  I did. 

I was really pleased with this run.  I wanted to run my feel and it took me a lot faster than I had planned.  It is always nice to have an out of the blue fast run.

TIME: 37:40

Just kicked it in the cardio cinema room at the gym and watched "Remember the Titans".  I love that show.  Nice and slow!

I got my foam roller today.  I'm not really sure how to use it, but I think I rolled out my IT band....ouch!  Lots of stretching while watching the big game. 

I got my 3rd place medal in the mail today...such a winner.  Hah!

Time:  46:43

Well, my easy week is over.  But it did it's job and I do feel rested.  I got lots of house jobs done.  

I went to the gym this morning and put the kids in the daycare.  I tried to be quick because they don't really like. 

I did foam rolling and stretching at home.  Ready to rock next week!

TIME:  55:43

4:45am and I am on my way to gym....way to early to be up to be doing ANYTHING!  Oh well...the run is done and I am on my way to take a nap!

I felt good this morning, but want to try and get more of my runs outside. 

This snow needs to go away!

TIME: 51:06 (AP:  8:30) 9:01, 8:58, 8:52, 8:19, 8:13, 7:41)

I dropped my little one off at preschool and ran from the school.  It was a bit chilly..mostly a slight breeze and drizzle.  My first half of the run, I really seemed to struggle.  Huffing and puffing....it took forever.

At 3 miles, I stopped to look at a text I had received and dropped my phone.  It totally busted.  NICE!  The way back was so much easier.  Must be a mental thing.

Got gas at Costco and noticed I had a flat tire.  So the nice man in the tire department fill it for me.  I went across the street to Big-O and they  pulled out a screw.  While we waited, I went to the ATT store and got a new phone. 

What a day!

TIME: 52:07 (AP 8:49) 9:31 BIG LONG HILL, 9:16, 8:46, 8:35, 8:18, 7:38 (8:25 pace)

Weird thing about this run, is that I've run it several times before and it has always been 6 miles.

Beautiful weather, nice easy recovery run and 6 miles doesn't seem "long" anymore.  My right hip and piriformus has been bugging me today.  I know how to stretch it, but I'm trying to figure out what causes it.  Fast or down hill runs maybe.

I'm hoping to get on my bike tomorrow in addition to my run.