Running to stay sane

I decided to run a tempo down the Big Cottonwood 1/2 Marathon course this morning. I live right on the race route and it takes about 15 minutes to drive up the canyon to the starting line. Bryant dropped me off and I ran down (and I added 3 miles to make my mileage for the week). What a beautiful canyon! The river, mountains, rock, trees were breath taking! Loved it! But man, it was A LOT of downhill. I am going to be hurting tomorrow! 13.1 in 1:26:15 + 3 miles cool down at 7:30 pace.

On a side note, you loose more elevation in the Big Cottonwood 1/2 than in the entire St. George Marathon. No wonder my quads are killing me! 

Ouch, ouch, ouch! I probably shouldn't have run at all today but I felt like a little shake out run would help. 5 miles at a slow, slow, slow pace of 8:30.

Wow...still trying to recover from Friday's tempo down the canyon. 9 miles at 7:50 pace! Geez!

9 easy miles today at 7:30 pace. I'm still trying to make this dang quad heal! 

Finally...my legs are starting to feel better. Today's run was, dare I say...enjoyable?! I ran through the familiar streets of Murray and watched the sun come up over the mountains. The clouds were pink and I swear I could feel a little crisp to the morning air. Makes me sad that summer is coming to an end. My training plan called for an 8 mile tempo but I still feel like I need to play it safe and just did an easy 9.1 miles @ 7:20 pace. 

I met Emily at Murray Park this morning for an enjoyable 7 mile run. We ran over to Wheeler Farm and saw 2 foxes (no, we didn't look at ourselves in the mirror. They were actual foxes!). It was nice to have a running partner. Emily and I always have something to talk about so it's always fun to get together. Emily is one of my running heroes so I feel honored to run with her! 7.25 miles at 7:30. 

 On a side note, I went and saw Dr. Tom Fletcher yesterday for some ART on my quad. He's a great doctor and I like his approach to running. I go back again tomorrow after my 20 miler. 

Emily and I were talking today about caffeine...Does anyone use it? If so, what do you take/how much/when? I'm interested to know!

I had a great long run this morning! I ran one of my favorite routes up towards Big Cottonwood Canyon and then I headed north on Wasatch Blvd to Parley's Canyon. I call this run my "Earn It" run...meaning the first 11 miles are uphill so the last 11 are downhill. I have to earn those downhills. I saw a lot of friendly runners and bikers so I felt like I was constantly waving and saying, "Morning!" 22 miles at 7:39 pace. 

 I missed you Emily! :) 

Bryant did his first triathlon today at Jordanelle! It was awesome to watch him finish the Olympic distance. I'm so proud of him.

 I ran 4  easy miles around Kamas to make an even 60 miles for the week. My legs felt a little tired but overall I felt really good! I'm glad my 22 miler on Friday didn't take it out of me. Maybe I'm getting used to running 20+ miles! Yahoo! 

I need some running advice from all you professional runners out there ;)

I'm signed up to run the Big Cottonwood 1/2 Marathon on September 14th. I'm also doing St. George on October 5 (3 weeks later). St. George is my main focus this year. I'm really shooting for a PR and hopefully a sub 3 hour! I ran down the BC 1/2 course a couple weeks ago and it TRASHED my quads because it's so steep. I've had a strained quad since Boston so I've done physical therapy and been a little cautious with it. BC is right next to my house and a lot of my family and friends are running it. I was hoping to do well and enjoy my race. BUT I'm nervous I will trash my legs even worse than I did a couple weeks ago and mess up my race for St. George. But I want to run it so I can "impress" my family and friends (sounds pretty stuck up huh? Well, my family rarely makes it to my races so I would love to have them see me run. Make sense?) 

My friend Emily is running Emigration Canyon 1/2 on August 31. She is also running St. George so this will be her 1/2 race before the marathon. Emigration Canyon is not as steep as Big Cottonwood. I've thought about running this race with her instead of BC. I'll miss out on being with my family and friends but I'll still get a good 1/2 race in before St. George.

Do you think I should switch and do the Emigration 1/2 or stick with Big Cottonwood 1/2 and try to play it safe?

Today was a hard tempo. I guess my legs are a little more tired than I thought they would be after my 22 miler on Friday. But I was able to finish! I have a 3 mile loop by my house that I like to run for my tempo's because it's 1.5 miles of a very gradual uphill and then 1.5 of a very gradual downhill. So I like to call it "flat". And there are no lights that I have to stop at.

1 mile warm up, 8 mile tempo (6:40, 6:27, 6:24, 6:40, 6:29, 6:30, 6:45, 6:28), 1 mile cool down.

I decided to try "Go Time" smelling salts (ammonia inhalants) before my workout today. Honestly, I didn't notice much of a difference. When I first smelt them, it was like "Wow, that's a strong smell". But that was about all the boost I got from them.

10 easy recovery miles today. I was suppose to run with Emily but she couldn't run at the same time I had to. I ran to the Jordan River Parkway and then on the dirt trail for 1 mile. Turned around and came home. Nothing too exciting but I've gotta get these miles in. 10.1 miles @ 7:30 pace. 

Side note, I signed up for the Emigration 1/2! I withdrew from the Big Cottonwood 1/2 race and they refunded all but $10 dollars. Emigration was $10 dollars less so I broke even. I feel much better about running this race. I think it will give me more time to recover for SG and won't beat my legs up as bad. Thanks for the advice everyone!

Another easy day. I ran one of my favorite routes along Murray-Holladay Blvd. Down Walker Lane. 9.25 miles at 7:22 pace. 

I felt SO tired yesterday that I decided today would be a cross training day. I rode my spin bike for an hour. It was hard NOT to run but I need to listen to my body. My hamstring has been bothering me again and I don't want to risk injury just to get my mileage in for the week. So I'll be 9 miles short...better than 26.2 miles short come race day!

I ran with Emily this morning at Murray Park. We ran our usual route to Wheeler Farm to get on some soft surface. My legs felt pretty good after a day of rest. Emily and I had some great conversations. This is one of the reasons why I love running! You become such good friends with those you run with. She also gave me some samples to try for a recovery drink and a drink to take while running. Thanks Em! 

I ran 16 easy miles with Kim and Tyler this morning out in Daybreak. That place is always busy with runners!  

I woke up before the sun to do my track workout this morning. It was pretty windy when I started but the wind died down towards the end. I decided to run a shorter distance since I'm doing the Emigration 1/2 this weekend.

2 mile warm up, 1 lap speed changes, 10x800 with (:90 sec rest). I wasn't super fast but I was pretty consistent with my splits which I'm happy about! (2:59, 2:58, 2:57, 2:57, 2:58, 2:58, 2:57, 2:57, 2:57, 2:58). 2 mile cool down. I wanted to run a few extra cool down miles but I had to be home to get Kaden ready for school.

I ran 10 miles with Emily this morning along the parkway and through some neighborhoods. My hamstring was pretty sore/tight from yesterday's track workout.

I really enjoyed today's run. I did 4.5 miles up the Big Cottonwood Canyon Trail and then 4.5 back down. I threw in 10x1:00 pushes to get my legs some speed for this weekend's race. I felt really good and enjoyed breaking in some new shoes.

Today was suppose to be an easy 7 miles. But it didn't feel easy! My legs are tried. I'm interested to see how this weekend's race goes! 7.3 miles @ 7:30 pace.

My baby brother is getting married today! Yahoo!

Emily and I ran a nice 10K through Holladay. Nothing too exciting since we have our race tomorrow.

Today was the Emigration 1/2 marathon. It was a small race but very organized. I really liked the course because it wasn't slamming downhill like most Utah races. The first 4 miles are uphill by Mountain Dell Golf Course. Then we ran down Emigration which is not nearly as steep as Big Cottonwood (I'm really glad I switched races!). The last 2 miles are flat. My goal for this race was to treat it like a tempo and just get some turn over. I felt really good the entire time and didn't feel like dying at the end. Emily ran this race too and took 1st and I took 2nd. I ran a 1:25 and I felt great. And the best part was I didn't get any blisters! Wahoo! Looks like this shoe and sock combination will be the one I use at St. George.

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to run today because I got a stomach bug yesterday afternoon. It wasn't very pretty last night! But I woke up feeling better and I decided to run close to home in case I needed to make a few "stops". But I felt really good! My legs weren't tired at all and I was able to run 10 miles at my normal pace! Wahoo!

On a side note, I looked at my splits from my race on Saturday and I ran the last 5K in 18:34. That's a PR for me! And I did it at the end of a 1/2 marathon. I'm feeling pretty optimistic that St. George will be a good race for me! (Fingers crossed!)

I decided to do another easy run this morning since I didn't get to bed until after midnight. Arrgghh...so frustrating. Anyways, I ran along Highland to Creek Road and then looped it around on 900 East to Wheeler Farm. I didn't see the foxes which I was hoping to see. I like those little guys! 10 miles at 7:30 pace. I think I'll try to do a track workout tomorrow.

Today's track workout was great! Although I was tempted to run with Emily, Devra and Allie (sounds like they had quite the adventure at Wheeler Farm), I am glad I hit the track and got some fast miles in. My trainning plan called for 5x1600. So I warmed up for 2 miles, ran 1600 and did a 400 meter recovery jog between each interval. My splits: 6:03, 5:59, 5:58, 6:00, 5:59. Then I ran a 2 mile cool down. I am super excited about hitting the 5:50's again! I wore some new light weight trainers and I really liked them. Maybe I'll try a long run in them this weekend and wear them for the marathon? I've become somewhat obsessed with running shoes lately. My friend ,who works for Asics, sent me 9 pairs of brand new shoes so I've been trying them out for her and giving her feedback. These Asic GEL Lyte's are the bomb! :)
 

10 miles this morning felt REALLY hard. My legs were tired, my body was tired...I'm just tired all around. Must mean that St. George is a month away! The hardest part of training is almost over! Only one more week after this week and then I can start to cut back a little.

I didn't get much sleep last night so I slept in and had to take my two youngest kiddos in the jogger. It was very slow...but I wanted to get some miles in today. Tomorrow is a long run!

I don't know how to share a link to my Garmin connect but here's a quick summary of my 22 miler this morning: Ran with Emily at 5:45, ran up the Big Cottonwood Canyon Trail and headed north on Wasatch Blvd to Parley's Canyon and turned around. It was a beautiful morning and the sunrise was gorgeous! We decided to push it on the way back and averaged 7:00 or below for the last 9 miles. The last 4 miles were at 6:30 pace. I felt pretty good! But man, we were THIRSTY!!!!! We were constantly thirsty and hot. But this run was definitely a confidence booster for me because I felt pretty good at the end and I hope that means I'm not going to crash at mile 20 of the marathon. Thanks Emily for the great run! And I agree..."That port-o-potty hidden in the trees is SO CUTE!" Hee hee...

Today's run felt really good! I was nervous to see how my legs felt after Saturday's 22 miler. But they recovered quickly and today's 11 miles felt nice and easy! I think I'll do my tempo tomorrow. 11 miles at 7:25 pace.

I was not looking forward to this tempo... but I'm so glad it's done! And I'm glad that I was able to keep my pace for 9 miles. I was originally going to do 8 miles but once I hit 8 I thought, "What the heck, I can do 1 more mile!" My brother has a quote in his room that says, "CHAMPIONS ALWAYS DO A LITTLE MORE". That was my motto today. I warmed up 1 mile, 9 miles at 6:32 pace, then 2.1 mile cool down.

On an exciting side note, I recieved a call from the St. George Marathon informing me that I'm an elite athlete this year! YAHOO! I've never had my own water bottles before. Does anyone  have any advice or tips for this? I'm thinking about using Cytomax. Should I drink it at every aid station or switch between water and Cytomax? Geez, I haven't been training with this because I didn't think it would be an option. I'll definitely use it on my long run on Friday.

10.5 recovery miles in the rain. What more could a girl want? :) Besides my hair turning into a big rats nest, my run was uneventful. My left hamstring started to hurt a little bit towards the end.

7.3 miles this morning at 7:10 pace. I felt pretty good besides a tight hamstring afterwards. Long run tomorrow...then it's TAPER TIME! :) Well, not too much of a taper next week but it's nice to know that training is now slowing down.

Last long run today!!! SO glad to be done. Emily and I ran on the parkway starting at 5300 South and went north for 10 miles then turned around. When we started it was pouring rain! But it stopped after the first mile and the sun came out and it was super humid! Ugh! I didn't feel great on the way back. But we managed to average a 7:07 pace! Emily finished about 20 seconds ahead of me. She felt better than I did the last few miles. But overall, I am super happy with this run and with my training in general. I have high hopes for St. George!

Today's mileage came from pacing a friend in the Big Cottonwood Marathon. It was a beautiufl morning and it felt nice to encourage my friend thorough a marathon because running 26.2 miles is tough! I felt pretty good considering the 20 miles I ran yesterday. I ran 4 miles at 6:50 pace before meeting up with my friend to run the last 7 with him. I'm happy to break 70 miles this week!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!!!!!

Double rainbow this morning...what does it mean? OMG! OMG! Ha ha! It was a beautiful morning. I was only going to run 8 miles but my body must have been on auto pilot because I started running my 2 mile extra loop and half way through it I thought, "Dang it! I'm not running 10, I'm doing 8!" Weird that I only need to run 8 miles each day this week. Must be taper time! 9.1 miles @ 7:28 pace.

Track workout this morning in the dark. It's kinda spooky when you can barely see the lines! Luckily it started to get lighter about half way through. I warmed up for 2 miles then ran 5x1600 with a 400 meter recovery jog in between and then cooled down for another 2 miles. I felt pretty good but my hamstring was getting tighter and tighter with each repeat. I didn't want to push it any harder than I did.

Splits:
6:05 (very dark and still warming up)
5:58
5:57
5:59
5:58

Last track workout before SG...CHECK! I am feeling pretty good about my training and I'm hoping for a good run come October 5. I'm getting a little nervous though because there are SO many fast girls running this year. I really want to place well but I think it might be smarter for me to just have a time goal and not stress too much about place. It seems like everyday I find out there is another fast girl running SG!

7.3 miles of easy running. My legs are tired from my track workout yesterday. 

7 miles at Wheeler Farm. It's amazling how much I love the dirt there :) Brrr...it was cold.

I felt really good today so I decided to turn my run into a modified tempo. I ran the first 3 miles at normal pace and then picked it up for the last 5. I ran about 10 seconds slower than MP. I ran down Murray-Holladay Blvd and through some neighborhoods in Holladay. 8.25 miles total :)

Last longer run until SG!! 16 miles along my favorite long run route. Up Big Cottonwood Canyon trail to Wasatch (North). Turned around after 8 and come back. My goal was to run the uphill's under 8:00 pace and the downhill under 7:00 pace. Mission accomplished! I felt relaxed on this run and didn't push it hard.

Tempo today...2x3 miles with a 1/2 mile recovery jog between. I didn't want to push it too hard since SG is next weekend (ahhh!). I warmed up 1 mile then did my first 3 miles in 18:59 (6:20 pace) and then the second 3 miles in 18:57 (6:19). I was pretty consistent which is good and the second one felt easier than the first. Cool down was 1.6 miles.

I might do a fartlek of some sort later this week. I'm going to stay away from the track until after the marathon. My right hamstring is starting to hurt again and I think it's from running too fast at the track. My left quad is also starting to burn a little after I run. I would be so upset if I couldn't race my best because of stupid little injuries.

Easy 6.1 miles at Wheeler Farm this morning. I didn't even wear my Garmin because I didn't want to know what my pace was. I went and saw Dr. Fletcher yesterday and he went to town on my hamstring (ART Therapy). It was really sore yesterday/last night/this morning. I hope he didn't over do it. Now I'm nervous it won't be 100% for SG! But I'm praying that it will be. I guess it's normal to be sore the next few days after a treatment. Here's to hoping!

7.3 miles through Holladay this morning. Beautiful weather! My legs felt a little better than yesterday but I could tell my hamstring is still pretty sore. I've decided to not do any leg weights (ie-squats, lunges, etc) until after the marathon. I think I need to really let my legs heal. Trying to stay optimistic!

Bryant went hunting at 4:00 am so I ran later this morning at 11:00. Wow, it felt nice to be warmed up for a while before running. I decided to run easy and easy was 7:00 pace. I went to Wheeler Farm and it felt great! 6 miles at 7:05 AP.

Easy 6.2 miles this morning through Murray. I thought about doing a fartlek but decided to give my legs another day of easy running.

I went to Dr. Fletcher's this morning and he did light work on my legs. They feel better. I also sat in his compression boots for 20 minutes. That was cool! I think I'll do it again next week.

Found out my bib number for SG is 5019! Yahoo! Last year I was 5102. Feels good to be moving up :)

Last "long" run with Emily this morning. It was really cold! I decided to conduct a session of "Running Therapy" with her and we discussed the top 3 things we are most worried about for this marathon and then we discussed the top 3 things we are most excited/confident about. It was nice to talk to someone about things like pooping, muscle aches, body glide, etc. These things are important people! :)

Running with Emily today really helped build my confidence. Even though the run felt harder than it should have, it was more about what was said. She reminded me about the good training I've had and that I should run faster than I think I can. Looking back on my training I've run (2) 22 milers, (4) 20 milers, (1) 17 miler, (5) 16 milers, I've dropped my mile splits on the track from 6:06 pace to 5:57 pace, my tempo's have gone from 6 miles to 9 miles and have gotten faster, I ran a strong 1/2 marathon that was a minute slower than my PR on a harder course and it felt comfortable.

She also talked about making it a positive experience and just taking control over the things you can control. So if the weather's bad (which the forecast looks great, btw) than just run the best you can in bad weather. Remember my training when I start to doubt. Thanks Emily...you're the best! I'm super excited for you to run an awesome marathon! If I was a gambling woman, my money would be on you to win this! :)

I felt SO good today that I really had to hold back on this run. It was a nice warm morning! I ran through my favorite Holladay neighborhoods. The best part was when I ran past a kid on a skateboard and he said, "What the f***! You're fast!" Hee hee...thank you random teenage boy! 8.1 miles at 7:10 AP.

I warmed up 3 miles and then did a 3 mile tempo at 10-20 seconds faster than MP. It felt hard and I don't think I was getting enough air because I have a little chest congestion. But it felt good to move my legs a little quicker. Splits on the temp-6:30, 6:17, 6:20.

Tomorrow I'll do an easy 4, off Thursday, 2 on Friday. WAHOO!!!!

4 easy miles at Wheeler Farm. A duck almost flew into my head...wouldn't that be the saddest story if it would have hit me and I couldn't run this weekend? Ha!
 

Rest day today. It felt weird NOT running...ha! Today I'll get everything packed and ready to go. We leave bright and early tomorrow morning. Good luck to everyone running this weekend! Bring your gloves, it's gonna be cold at the start! Brrrrr!

2.5 easy miles with 4 strides at the end. Legs feel fresh and good for tomorrow! Good luck everyone running SGM! See you at the starting line!

Wow! I'm so pumped! 15 minute PR! I'll post my report later :)

*REPORT TIME!*

We got to St. George around 2:00 pm on Friday and went straight to the Expo. I dropped off my elite bottles (I felt so cool! I've never been an elite before!). I ran into my good friend Seth Wold and he gave me some good advice: "Go out fairly conservate and then kill it the second half. You can run a 5 minute negative split easy!". I thought that sounded like a pretty good plan and decided to add it to my list of goals which were:

• Sub 3 hour
• Top 15 women
• Never give up
• Negative split
• Race the last 6 miles

I woke up Saturday morning feeling "unusally" calm and hardly nervous at all. It was weird! I slept really good all week and I was feeling very ready to run a good race. Bryant and I picked up Emily at 4:45 am and we headed to the buses. I am so glad that I was able to ride to starting line with Em! She's such a good friend! At the starting line, it was COLD! I think it was about 34-35 degrees. We huddled by the garbage can bonfires and sang along to Katy Perry's "Roar". Emily and I are cool like that!! Then, before I knew it, it was time to start.

Miles 1-6: Right away a group of girls formed around me with the goal of running a 2:55. I thought, "Sweet! I'll hang with them". These girls were awesome and we talked about our families, training, etc. It really made the time go by a lot faster. I printed off a 2:55 pace chart and was wearing it on my wrist so I would check each mile split and tell them how we were doing. (6:46, 6:49, 6:31, 6:22, 6:31, 6:23)

Miles 7-13: A few girls dropped off the pace so it was just me, Merrilee Blackham, Jasmine Sessions, Missy Allred. Veyo felt like it was nothing! I'm really proud of how good of a hill runner I've become. Miles 10-12 are my least favorite miles of this marathon. They are slightly uphill and seem to go on FOREVER! Ugh. But once again, it was nice to have the girls to talk to and to pass the time with. We went through 13.1 at 1:28. I was feeling pretty good. (6:24, 7:17, 7:00, 6:51, 7:09, 6:48, 6:30)

Miles 14-20: At this point Merrilee and Jasmine picked up the pace and pulled ahead. I stayed with Missy because I felt that we were right on that 2:55 pace and it was feeling good. Not too hard and not too easy. I love these miles at SG! The canyon is beautiful and it's downhill. At mile 18, Missy said a prayer outloud thanking God that I was running with her! It was really cute. The hill at mile 19 felt really good but I could tell that Missy was starting to fall behind. She told me to go ahead so I did. (6:32, 6:17, 6:16, 6:24, 6:24, 6:52, 6:36).

Miles 21-26.2: Wow, I was feeling great. I didn't hit "the wall"...I didn't feel like I was going to die. This was a new feeling for me because I've crashed at every marathon around mile 20. I can thank my increase of mileage during my training! I decided it was go time and I thought, "Hell, I'm going to run under 2:55!" I grabbed my last bottle of Cytomax and took off. I passed 15 men and only 1 passed me (mile 24). I had no idea what overall woman I was but I didn't care because this race was about time. When I turned that last corner and saw the finishing stretch, I looked up at the clock and saw 2:51...holy crap! I was going to run a 2:52! I was so excited! I crossed the finish line with a big smile on my face and pointed up at the clock. The girl who finished infront of me said, "Good job. I was 10th...you were 11th. Better luck next year". OUCH...that hurt. First of all, what a rude thing to say right?! Second, I missed being in the top 10 by about 45 seconds. But I didn't let that ruin my moment. I just ran a marathon in 2:52:47!!!! I was so happy! Emily was waiting for me by the medals and was so proud of me! She told me she took 3rd and I was so happy for her! She ran a 2:40...amazing! (6:11, 6:39, 6:22, 6:21, 6:30, 6:30, (.2 at 6:18 pace))

The awards ceremony was a little bitter sweet. I wasn't on the top 10 podium...I didn't recieve a gift bag or cash. I took 3rd in my age division and got a nice plaque. But I can't think about that. I am so happy about my time. I am so happy that I accomplished all my goals! I ran a 4 minute negative split! I didn't give up and I raced the last 6 miles. This was the best race I've ever had. I'm so happy with everything! My training was awesome and my race was awesome. Couldn't ask for anything better! :)

Spin bike for 60 minutes followed with some good stretching and foam rolling. Felt SO good! My legs are pretty sore but they feel better this year than they did last year.

3.2 easy SLOW miles. My legs feel pretty good but my hammy and quad are still needing some TLC. 8:34 AP.

4.6 miles at my beloved Wheeler Farm. My hamstring was screaming at me by the end. I'm going to take tomorrow off or spin.

Day off. I got a massage this morning and it felt awesome!

45 minutes on the spin bike. Still just recovering and taking my sweet time...

On a side note, my appetite is going crazy! I ate 4 pieces of pizza last night and 5 bread sticks for dinner. Apparently my body still thinks I need to carbo load! Ha! Num...num...num...

7 miles through Holladay. I like to look at all the expensive homes and pretend they are mine. I felt pretty good today but still not 100%. Still planning on taking it easy next week. 7 miles at 7:44 pace.

6.2 miles through Murray in the dark morning. 7:38 AP.

Cold this morning! Brrr! I miss summer already! But on the bright side, I felt almost normal today! Yahoo! 6.1 miles at 7:28 AP.

6 miles on the parkway with Emily. It was SUPER dark...no moon...no street lights. I brought a headlight but it hardly did anything to help us see! I hate this time of year when it's so dark in the mornings. I'm glad we didn't trip (which Emily does in normal daylight ALL the time! Good job Em!). Some jerk had his dog off leash and it ran at us 3 different times. I yelled at him! I told him I had mace and I was going to mace his dog in the face! Ok, I'd never really do that since this dog was a nice golden retreiver, but it was really annoying and dangerous because we could have tripped over him! Come on people...be responsible with your pet. 6 miles at 7:30ish pace.

We are going camping this weekend so I wanted to do a long(er) run this morning. 10 miles through Holladay. I miss running long distances. I think I was built for longer stuff. 10 miles at 7:14 AP.

Has anyone run the Thankful Half on Thanksgiving morning? It starts at Thanksgiving Point and goes into Lehi. I'm thinking about running it?

We went camping this weekend at Zion's and it was so much fun! It was a lot of work with three small kiddos, but fun. We ended our camping trip with an overnight stay at St. George. I was going to run with Amber Green and some other girls this morning but I was so tired that I slept in and ran around 8:00 by myself. I love running in St. George. I ran up a crazy hill at miles 2 and 6 that was 9% grade and 1/2 a mile long. My hamstring did NOT like it! It hurt pretty bad by the end of my run. You'd think that three days COMPLETELY off would help heal it but I guess it's still going to give me grief. Stupid hamstring...

8 miles at 7:30 pace.

Ran 4 miles through my neighborhood and then did the spin bilke for 30 minutes. I wanted to get an hour of cardio in but I didn't want to run 8 miles again today. I'm getting lazy.

I had one of those monrings where I felt like I just didn't have enough time! It all started last night when we carved pumpkins and watched scary movies until 1:00 am. Of course that meant I was too tired to wake up early to run so I had to squeeze in a short 5 miler between taking Kaden to school and Lily to preschool. Then I had to rush home for Weston's speech therapy appointment and then I had to go to the store, pick up Lily and stop by my parents.

Long story short...5 miles on a crazy morning. 7:13 AP. Hamstring felt better but hurt later in the day. I went and saw Dr. Fletcher yesterday and he did ART on my butt, hips, hammy and calf.

Planned on running 6-7 miles this morning but after about 1 mile my right knee hurt SO bad that I could barely "hobble" through 2 more. The pain was toward the outside bottom part of the knee which makes me think it's IT Band. Crap...

Stretched really good and foam rolled when I got home.

Did a fun spin workout on my bike this morning while watching Grey's Anatomy. It wasn't half bad. I'm going to take it super easy while I get this knee thing figured out.

I took the weekend off in hopes that my knee would heal. I ran an easy 6 miles at Wheeler Farm and my knee did "ok". Towards the end it started to hurt pretty good. I think I'll definitely take this week easy again. Run one day and cross train the next.

While I was at Wheeler Farm I think I saw the ghost of Allie of "weekend past".

Super easy 3 miles

Spinning...spinning...spinning...and I ain't going no where. 75 minutes. I watched "The Voice". Man, I wish I could sing!

It must be Halloween because I was freaked out the entire run this morning! It was so dark and spooky...shadows, monsters, goblins...I saw it all! BOO! 6 easy miles through Holladay. 7:40 AP. My knee felt a little better.

I went and saw my orthopedic doctor this morning and he's pretty sure I have a good case of runners knee. He pushed, pulled, stretched my knee and said the point of pain is on the outside edge of the petallar tendon so that's why my pain is on the outer knee cap and not directly under like most people have. Ice, rest, stretch, blah, blah, blah...

I decided to see where my pain level was at since I haven't run in a few days and I was able to go about 2 miles before it hurt. The last mile was painful and I struggled to get home. Looks like it's going to be a slow/long process.

5 miles with hardly any knee pain! Wahoo! But I'm still going to take it easy. I could tell the "issue" is still there but getting better. I felt completely fine for 2.5 miles and then I could feel my knee start to hurt but it never got bad! 7:15 AP.

This is my self diagnosis: After St. George, my quads/hamstrings were really tight and sore. Although I took the first couple weeks pretty easy, I ran an 8 miler in St. George where I ran up and down a really steep hill twice. I think this did a number on my hamstring because it was hurting really bad by the end of the 8 miles. I think this pulled my IT band and knee out of allignment. Thus, I started having knee pain and IT band issues. After taking about 2 weeks off, cross training (easy spinning), stretching everyday, foam roller everyday, ice 2-3 times a day, glute/hip/quad/hamstring exercises 2-3 times a week...I think it's "starting" to get better. Crossing my fingers! But I'm still going to take it easy next week. Maybe run 3 times and still do 3-5 miles.

Warmed up on the spin bike for 5 minutes then stretched my hamstrings, quads and IT bands. I did 30 iron crosses (my new FAVORITE stretch for my hips, back and glutes!). Then I ran a slow 5 miles at 7:40 AP. It was super cold and my body did not want to run any faster.  My knee felt good until mile 2 and then it started to hurt. Not bad enough to stop but then it got better the last mile. Weird. I am really working on my form and I think it's helping. Seems like knee problems are all over the running community. Be careful out there...the knee bug just might get you too! :p

Bryant didn't feel well today so he called in sick from work which meant I got to run at 2:00 pm! The weather was SO nice! I wore a sports bra and shorts. Probably the last time this outfit will happen until next summer! I ran 7 miles at Wheeler Farm and I'm happy to report that my knee did ok! It did hurt a little bit but, once again, I was able to finish and didn't have to slow my pace. Crossing my fingers that it's smooth sailing from here on out! 7 miles at 7:20 pace.

Emily, I might be calling you for a run on Saturday :)

I have been sick the past 2 days and I felt like crap today while running. My chest congestion made it hard to breathe! But, I was able to run and it did feel good to get my blood moving after being stuck at home for a few days. 4.5 miles at 7:30 AP.

7 miles on a cold, windy morning. My knee did it's usual thing...felt good until mile 2.5 then kinda bugged me until mile 5 and then was ok until the end. I coughed a lot and didn't feel very good. This sickness is going to be around for a while. 7 miles at 7:30 AP.

I took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and ran at 2:00 pm. 6.1 miles around Murray and my knee felt the best it has in weeks! 7:10 AP.

Quick run this morning after Kaden went to school and before I had to drop off Lily at preschool. It was really warm! My legs felt tired and my knee was a little upset so I just ran 4.5 miles at a slow pace. 7:30 AP.

Rainy, cold run through Holladay. Nothing too exciting. Just trying to get my knee back to 100% and taking things easy. 7:30 AP.

I kind of felt "normal" today which is promising. I posted on the wrong day on Wednesday because I actually ran 6 miles yesterday, 4 today and I'll attempt a longer run tomorrow. This will be the first time in weeks that I'll run 3 days in a row. Fingers crossed. :) 7:15 AP.
 

I met Emily at Cottonwood Complex and we ran a few laps around the horse park. It was nice to run on the dirt and grass but it was not nice that every dog owner had their dog off leash!! A few dogs got in our way and one dog almost charged Emily. We left the park and ran along Murray Holladay Road to Walker Lane then down Spring Lane to 1300 East and back to the cars.

I was a little nervous to run with someone this morning. I was nervous that my knee wasn't going to hold up. But I'm really happy that I was able to run 10 miles with little pain! Thanks for the great run Emily! :)

On a side note, Emily and I talked about getting all the girls together on the FRB and going for a run sometime soon. I think it sounds like a lot of fun! We'll keep you ladies posted :)

I was encouraged by my 10 miler on Saturday and decided to run a little farther than normal today. 8 miles and it felt pretty good. My knee didn't hurt until mile 4.5 and then it wasn't bad. It was really cold which didn't help my joints. I felt like an old lady trying to warm up my knees/hips Ha! 8 miles at 7:20 AP.
 

6 miles around Wheeler Farm. I decided to do 5x1 minute pushes. My knee didn't like them...I wish I could have done more but 5 was all I could do safely. Beautiful day! :) 7:03 AP.

1 hour spin. Just playing it safe because I want to have a good run tomorrow for Turkey Day!

A beautiful Turkey Day run with Emily. We ran around Wheeler Farm and then around Murray Park. It was a nice morning. I'm thankful to have such a great running buddy. I always enjoy my runs with Emily! :) Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 7:20 AP

4.5 miles through my hood. My knee was upset at me after a couple miles. I guess the 10 miles the day before was a little much. 7:10 AP.

10 miles with Emily on the Jordan River Parkway. It was cold and I felt SUPER tired. I only got 3 hours of sleep last night and I was dragging. I could tell Emily wanted to run faster but I was giving it all I had. She ran an extra 2 miles for 12 but 10 was plenty for me today. Nothing too eventful happened except a guy saw me peeing. I'm sure I made his morning extra special ;) 10 miles 7:19 AP.

8 miles on a mild December afternoon! Tank top and shorts! Yahoo! I ran through Murray/Taylorsville. My knee did not hurt AT ALL! Praise the Lord! I ran the last mile at 6:30 so I felt pretty happy about that. 7:05 AP

6 miles on the dreadmill. Winter is here folks...time for me to start crying!

60 minute spin. I have a cool app on my phone that goes through a typical spin class. So I did some hill repeats, sprints, etc.

2 pairs of tights, 3 layers up top, 2 pairs of gloves, a warm hat and my warmest pair of running socks. Running when it's 9 degrees is SO FUN (<----Insert sarcasim here). 7.3 miles through Hollady. The roads weren't too bad but got a little icy in spots. Be careful out there!

Dreadmill day #2. I started off at a comfortable pace and then increased the speed every .5 miles. My last mile was a 6:30...Can't believe I ran SG faster than 6:30 AP. I was in good shape! I hope to get a long run in with Emily tomorrow. I hope the snow holds off so we can get out!

I am SO glad Emily ran with me today. We both are lacking in the motivation department and had a hard time getting out the door. But we ran at the perfect time (right before the snow started coming down). We ran through Murray into Holladay and enjoyed looking at the HUGE homes. The pace was nice and easy and we truly enjoyed ourselves. Thanks Em! 12 miles at 7:30 AP.

90 minutes on the spin bike. Too cold and icy to run this morning. I did two hill workouts and 2 interval workouts so my legs are toast. Love me some leg toast :)

7 miles through Holladay. Besides it being 9 degrees, it was pretty fun. 7:20 AP

7 miles through Murray neighborhoods. The roads were better this morning and I didn't have to run through any snow or on ice. Still SUPER cold. 10 degrees. 7:18 AP.

I slept in this morning which meant I had to do a short run before Bryant left for work. 4 miles around Murray. 7:15 AP.

Originally, I was going to run a "lucky 7" miles today since it's Friday the 13th. But then I remembered that I'm not superstitious and ran 8 instead. It was 18 degrees instead of 9 and it actually felt a lot better. The air was pretty nasty though. 8 miles at 7:20 AP.
 

Today was a super busy day so I had to run at 5:30. 2 dance recitals, a birthday lunch and a Christmas work party. It took a lot of effort to get out of bed. But it was somewhat warmer (22 degrees) so that was nice. Ran through Murray neighborhoods to the Parkway. 11 miles.

I was finally able to run one of my favorite hilly 8 mile routes. There was still some ice/snow on the side walks but I strapped an extra headlamp on my head and ran on the shoulder. It wasn't too bad. I decided to make it a progressive run and ran the first 4 miles at a comfortable pace and then my last 4 miles were 6:55, 6:49, 6:43, 6:45. Not super fast but faster than normal pace. My hamstring did pretty well so that was a plus!

I guess my little tempo run yesterday took it out of me. Ha! 6 miles was all I could do today. I'm getting really bored with this winter/cold/ice/smoggy weather. Is it spring yet? 7:28 AP.

9 miles through Holladay. 7:28 AP.

I guess I was being a "Negative Nancy" this morning and found that a lot of things were bugging me. I'll list them for you:

• Drivers who can't seem to look both ways when making a turn. I was almost hit twice.
• Drivers who can't seem to give me more than 6 six inches. I try and run as close to the gutter as possible but there is a lot of ice/snow still.
• Other runners who wear ALL BLACK while running in the dark. Seriously? That is dangerous people! The brighter the better. I wear a reflective neon yellow running jacket and a head lamp every morning.
• High school parking lots. Holy cow...you wanna die? Run by one in the morning when a million high school students are trying to pull into the parking lot.
• Smog. Winter. Ice. Snow. Tights. Gloves.

I guess the glass was half empty today. BUT...a small miracle happened towards the end of my run that turned my thoughts back to the positive. I had to go the bathroom so bad and was about to drop my tights in the freezing 14 degree weather when all a of sudden a port-o-potty appeared out of no where! It was a Christmas running miracle! Then I started thinking about all the things I love about running:

• Watching the moon go down and the sun come up.
• Feeling myself breathe. Feeling that air fill my body.
• Quiet moments when I can think about life. I solve serious problems in my head while running. All world leaders should run! We'd have world peace in no time!
• I love when I feel good inside my body. I feel this way when I'm in shape and can run everyday. I'm so glad my knee is better.
• Feeling a great sense of accomplishment everyday. I did it all on my own.

I think this is my longest post ever. Nice...

Walked Slipped outside and realized the groud was nothing but ice. So I slipped back inside and rode my spin bike for 50 minutes. I was really hoping to run everyday this week. Guess Mother Nature has a different plan. Boo!

Yaktrax. Side streets. Clean air. 8 miles.

13 miles by myself through Holladay. It was enjoyable but I wished I would have had a friend. Who wants to run next Saturday? Let's get a group together!

The theme for the day: "Caution: Falling Snow". This balmy 40 degree weather is making all the snow fall out of the trees. I was dodging the snow bombs my entire run.

2 mile warm up, then I did 15x1:00 pushes, 1 mile cool down. 7 miles of fun.

6 miles on slick roads. 7:08 AP.

8 miles through Holladay on a lovely, warm Christmas afternoon. 7:10 AP.

No running today. I'm sick with a fever, cough, congestion. Glad I got some good running in earlier this week.

90 minutes on the spin bike to try and sweat the sickness out.

The first run after being sick is always hard. I thought I would feel better but I felt pretty crappy the entire run. I could barely keep under 8 minute pace. But I was able to run my favorite Holladay route. 7 easy miles. I hope I feel better on Monday!

I felt SO much better today. 7 miles through Murray and it was great. 7:19 AP. I am excited for the girls run on New Years Day! Can't wait to see all the girls!

6 easy miles around my house. My legs were really sore from doing my PT exercises yesterday. My quad is starting to "burn" again...I swear, I need to move somewhere warm. These injuries don't seem to happen when my muscles can warm up.

I figured out my mileage for the year: 2,381. Not too shabby. I am pretty sure it's the most I've ever run in one year! GO ME! :)

Big girls run tomorrow! 8:00 at Murray High. Come one, come all!