Running to stay sane

10 miles with James and Scott in North Salt Lake. Cold but the company was good. Happy New Years everyone! My resolution is to listen more and judge less... To love more and not stress the small stuff (like always having a clean house). As for running, I don't have any specific goals yet ;)

6 miles around my neighborhood area. I ran at 9:00 so it wasnt as cold. 7:11 AP

Awesome long run with Emily. I've missed running with her. 24 degrees felt nice and warm this morning. We ran through Murray into Holladay. It was great! 7:20 AP.

10 miles. 7:03 AP. I had a few miles at 6:40 pace a couple at 6:30. 

8 miles in the dark. This is getting old :(

10 miles around Holladay. I felt like my body was in shut down mode today. Ugh. My quad was totally fatigued, my foot hurt, I struggled to keep a decent pace. 7:16 AP.

8 miles with Tori. I'm grateful I had her this morning or I might not have run. I'm struggling this week. I need some motiviation. 7:30 AP

6 miles around my hood. 

16 miles with my pal Emily. We ran along Wasatch Blvd to try to get about this nasty, nasty air. It took me 12 miles to feel warmed up...I must be getting old. 7:11 AP.

Ugh...I ended up on the dreadmill today. I waited until 9:00 to run and it was pouring rain and only 35 degrees. I went over to my parents house and used their torture machine. I hated it. I wanted to run 10 but I just couldn't go one more mile. 7:19 AP.

9 miles back outside! Yes! The roads were a little icy is spots but the air was clean and I enjoyed it! 7:20 AP

10 miles on a nice clean air day! Yahoo! I felt pretty good. My first mile was a 7:30 (which is actually fast for my first mile) and the rest were under 7:00 or right at 7:00. 7:02 AP. 

8 miles with Tori. We ran our normal route through Holla!Day. 7:28 AP

6 miles at magical Wheeler Farm. No fox sightings today. My butt is hurting me...I think I pulled it...Do you ever feel like you are falling apart? Urgh! I don't know if tomorrow's long run will happen. 

17 miles with my buddy Emily. We ran a new route which was a nice change. The first 10 miles were mostly uphill and the last 7 were downhill with a few hills at the end. My butt didn't hurt at all! This made me very very very happy. I'm getting motivated for Salt Lake Marathon! Once again, Emily and I had some great conversations about running, life, religion. And the miracle of the morning: We didn't have to poop! Victory! 7:17 AP. 

10 miles around Holladay. Beautiful morning and not too cold. 7:15 AP.

8 miles through Murray. I ran easy and felt pretty good. I am going to attempt some speedwork tomorrow. 7:30 AP

10 miles with a 5 mile tempo thrown in the mix. I didn't know what to expect since I haven't run anything really fast for a couple months. 6:25, 6:09, 6:13, 6:15, 6:15. My AP was 6:15. I felt really good but the last half mile I felt that burning in my gut and lungs telling me that I hadn't run like this in a while. 

Onward and upward...

8 miles through Holladay. My legs were a little tired from yesterday's tempo and PT exercises. Quad feels extra fatigued but not bad. 

7 miles in the dark. I did a mile on the track at Cottonwood High and freaked myself out when I saw a rat run across the track. Track rats....time to get a gun! :) 

First 20 miler of my marathon training. I ran with Devra up Big Cottonwood Trail to Wasatch to Millcreek and turned around. I felt pretty good the entire time and wasn't dying at the end so that's a bonus! 7:14 AP.

11 miles...Wheeler Farm...tank top...January? 7:20 AP

8 miles around Holladay. Legs still feeling a little tired from Saturday. 

Track workout: 40 degrees/light rain

The track was a little slippery and I was under dressed (tank top and shorts...oops!). So I adjusted my workout and decided that I should aim for around 6 min pace. 2x1600, 4x800 (400 meter recovery jog)

5:57, 5:57, 2:56, 2:57, 2:56, 2:55

Given the conditions, it's not a horrible workout. My legs are STILL tired from Saturday's 20 miles. I forget that running up and then down Wasatch/Big Cottonwood Trail can really hammer your legs. Plus, I'm back to doing my physical therapy workouts so my legs are also sore from that. Wow, I have a lot of excuses don't I? 

I'll be in sunny California next week so I'm going to use it as a recovery week. This week I'm hoping to get around 60 miles again.

8 miles with Tori and her friend Kate. We did our usual Holladay route. I've got to start watching my mouth...I shouldn't swear around people I've just met. 7:30 AP

Spooky and foggy this morning. My legs feel shot! I need a nap! 

20 miles with Emily. We ran along 1300 East to 1100 East and Garfield Ave (where the SL Marathon course splits with the half course). We followed the course for 7 miles through Sugar House, Sugar House Park, 2000 East into Holladay. Wow, there are some good climbs. This will be a challenging course for sure! But, I'll be ready for it. I actually like hills and I hope that I can run this part of the course a few more times before April so I can be confident with my mountain goat climbing abilities :) 

I pushed the last few miles (6:40ish pace) and I felt pretty good. Next week will be a recovery week while I'm in Measleland (aka-Disneyland). 7:09 AP

8 miles in Anaheim 

8 miles around Anaheim

8 miles with 11x2 minute pushes 

8 miles. Shouldn't have run today. I noticed some knee pain yesterday after my run and felt it get worse throughout the day at Disneyland. Today's run wasn't super painful but the pain was there and now it's getting worse. Dang runners knee :( I'm going to take a few days off, stretch, ice. Just when I started to feel confident about my marathon training!

Rest Day--Saw Dr. Fletcher. He's the man. 

10 slow miles around my neighborhood/Murray area. I didn't want to push it with my knee so I ran easy, flat and slow. 

On a side note, a guy in a car threw a quarter at my head. He was a big a$$hole!

10 miles on a windy morning. I still feel slow and sluggish. My knee felt good. 

Question for all you running people: I was at sea level for a week...how long should it take for my body to become readjusted to altitude? 

8 miles around Murray in the dark. I love watching the sun come up over Mt. Olympus. (Miss you Allie)

Beautiful day! Wow! I warmed up 2 miles then ran 2x3 miles (5:00 walking recovery between sets) 

6:15, 6:08, 6:06-(18:30)
6:13, 6:08, 6:07-(18:28)

My legs felt good and there were no knee issues. Crossing my fingers! 2 mile cool down. 

8 miles around Holladay. Legs don't feel too bad after yesterday so that's good. 7:30 AP

7 miles around Murray/Cottonwood Track. There were two high school boys there with their shirts off...I felt old and had some impure thoughts...#JesushelpmeCTR 7:14 AP

18 miles with Emily. I did not feel good from the get go. Stomach issues and tired legs. But I pushed through and was able to finish. Thanks Emily! Our last mile was a 6:44 so we were able to push it at the end (or we just wanted to be done faster!)  7:10 AP. 

11 miles around Murray and Holladay. Nice and easy. 

9 miles around Murray. Almost got hit by a car...this seems to happen most mornings. It's getting old. 7:25 AP #idontwanttodie 

2.5 mile warm up to Murray High track. Be-a-utiful day! I wore a t-shirt and shorts. 5x1 mile repeats with 400 meter jog recovery. 

5:47, 5:48, 5:49, 5:49, 5:49. 

I was definitely tired by the last one. I wanted to push it and run a 5:45 or faster but I just couldn't. Regardless, I'm happy with this workout. 2 mile cool down. 

8 miles around Wheeler Farm. I love that place.

7 miles around my neighborhood. My legs are tired from all this marathon training. I hope tomorrows' long run is tolerable. 

21 miles with a 7 mile tempo thrown in. James, John, Devra and I met at Liberty and ran up 1300 South to 1100 East and ran the SL Marathon course (miles 9-24). We warmed up 5.5 miles and ran our tempo through part of Sugar House and into Holladay. I fell behind Devra and James a couple times during the tempo but I still was able to give a good effort. I'm glad I was able to push hard on a couple hills that will be challenging come race day. 

Tempo AP-6:30ish James (runmehappy) has the splits posted on his blog
AP for entire run-7:07

30 minute spin. Stretching+foam roller

10 miles on my hilly Highland Drive route. My legs are super tired from Saturday. Ugh. I was not fast! I saw some CRAZY Utah driving... I saw one guy tailing another guy super close, the front car stopped, the guy tailing slammed on his breaks, they both got out of their cars and starting punching each other. Then I had a few cars almost hit me because apparently my super bright neon yellow jacket isn't visible enough? 7:24 AP.

8 miles around my neighborhood. My right Achilles is hurting. I'll have to assess how it feels as the day goes on. I might end up spinning tomorrow. 

75 minute spin this morning. I decided to play it safe. My achillies is still a little sore. I just don't want to make things worse by forcing a run on it. I'll try an easy, flat run tomorow and see how it holds up. I gotta be smart right now!

My Achillies didn't hurt! Thank you God! I ran easy and flat. But I'm SUPER happy that I could run today. 7:28 AP.

7 miles with my good friend Jen. She lives in China but is in town for a while. It was nice to run with an old friend! 

20 miles with James on the parkway (so fun!). We ran 10 miles south then 10 miles back north.  I felt ok but towards the end, I was ready to be done. We pushed it the last few miles and kept it under 7:00 pace. James is becoming a super strong runner and he is definitely pushing me these days. I'm glad I got to run with him. 7:07 AP.

11 miles. I ran up into Holladay and ran 3.1 miles on the SL marathon course. I had to turn around at 3900 South Highland. I felt really good today and was able to push it up the hills. I had a few 6:40's and 6:30's in there. 7:05 AP.

9 miles on a beautiful winter morning. I finished right before the great whiteout of March 2015. I think we got three inches in 45 minutes. 

Track workout at Murray High. I emailed Jake K this morning and asked him to look out his office window to see if there was snow on the track. He said it looked like an oreo with a white inner layer and black outer layer. So the track looked clear. I warmed up 2.6 miles and did a lap around the track to inspect...it was 90% clear...the southeast corner had a layer of snow and ice. I decided to continue on with my workout but I knew my times would be slower than normal. It was also 31 degrees so it was pretty cold. 10x800 with 60 seconds recovery, 2x400.

2:59, 2:57, 2:57, 2:55, 2:55, 2:53, 2:54, 2:53, 2:52, 2:49, 1:21, 1:20

Considering the conditions of the track, the cold weather and tired marathon legs, it wasn't a horrible workout. I know I'm faster. But I wasn't dying during each 800, they felt controled. 3 mile cool down. 

9 miles around Holladay. Nice and slow...and FREEZING cold! I thought about running 10 miles but I was frozen and decided 9 was just fine. 

7 miles around Murray. 7:19 AP

22 miles...good confidence booster. I met James and Emily at Liberty Park and we ran up to the U and ran the SL Half course. James did a tempo in the middle of the run while Emily and I decided to run a "1/3's" long run...easy the first 1/3, medium effort the second 1/3 and push the last 1/3. We didn't stick perfectly to the plan but we ran miles 6-18 just under 6:40 AP. Not too shabby. 

7:47, 7:50, 7:57, 7:51, 7:15, 7:02, 6:49, 6:44, 6:28, 6:46
6:55, 6:38, 6:50, 6:49, 6:48, 6:20, 6:33, 6:22, 7:15, 7:18, 7:10, 6:58

7:02 AP.

I love running with James and Emily. James has come SO far since I started running with him a few months ago. He is a monster when he runs up hills...I was super impressed today with his effort and he hung in there even though he wasn't feeling great. Emily continues to push me every time we run. She has been running longer tempo's and I can tell they are paying off because she was super strong today. Plus, they both are easy to talk to and don't judge me even if I say a few swear words or talk about getting drunk. They are awesome running friends. 

And we ran by Allie's old house...twice. I waved at her neighbor who was outside watering her yard with a garden hose while smoking a joint. 

45 minutes on the spin bike. Stretching and foam roller. 

12 miles around my neighborhood and then 4 laps around Wheeler Farm. The dirt felt delightful. Easy pace 7:30 AP.

I really dislike daylight savings. My entire run was in the dark. Blah. Back to the track tomorrow during the sunlight! I'm looking forward to it!

3 mile warm up to Cottonwood High. 5x1 mile with 400 recovery jog. It was a beautiful day and I had the track all to myself. 

5:52, 5:47, 5:47, 5:47, 5:47 (once again, I'm very consistent)

2 mile cool down. I felt pretty good although I wanted the last mile to be faster but my legs decided otherwise. 

After a long night with a sick kid, I was able to run after I sent my older kids to school. The weather was nice with a few light rain showers. 7:23 AP

17 miles in Moab. Running there is spiritual for me. I ran up and down the canyon. 7:19 AP

10 miles along Highland into Sandy. I felt pretty good :) 7:08 AP.

8 miles around Murray. Nice and easy. 

8 miles on my Holladay "Dream House" route. I ran a 3 mile pick up (6:18, 6:18, 6:16) in the middle. It felt nice and contolled. I wore my trainers. 6:52 AP.

7 miles around Murray. I love my bright neon yellow shoes.

6 miles around Wheeler Farm. Nice and easy. 6x30 second strides to finish. Race tomorrow...time to shave my legs!

I didn't have a goal coming into this race. I just wanted to give a good effort and see how I felt after 13 miles because I'll be running double that next month. When I got to Riverton Park, the wind was 15 MPH which isn't fun to race in. Miles 4-11 had a pretty good head wind and some good uphill parts. It was tough. But overall, I'm happy with my performance and was able to pass the number one guy at mile 11 so I was the first overall human. I won a gift basket that had a sweet Riverton coffee mug and an XL t-shirt. 6:26 AP for the race. 

11 miles around Holladay. My legs aren't too tired from Saturday's race. 7:28 AP.

10 miles in the dark. Legs are still a little tired but not too bad. 

12 miles along the parkway. Legs feel good! This week is my last big week before I start to taper! 7:08 AP.

10 miles in the dark. Took my life into my own hands and ran by Cottonwood High during the morning rush to get to school... Jenny-1 Death-0! Ha ha! 

Side note...I got a pretty good blister on the bottom of my foot last Saturday during the race. I haven't had blisters in forever. Now I'm worried I'm going to get them during my marathon next month. Any advice for bottom of the foot blisters? 

7 miles with my buddy Emily. Her knee is still hurting but she was able to run with me which made the start of my Friday even better :) 

I met James and Daniel at Liberty and then I drove us up to a little past mile 1 of the SL course. We started from there and ran the course to about mile 24 which put us back at Liberty Park. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel today since I had a race last weekend and the build up of marathon training is being felt in my legs. But I'm super happy with how I felt today and my overall pace was sub 7:00. I want to give a big thank you to James and Daniel for making this last long run so enjoyable. James has been an awesome training partner and he has really helped me push myself over the past few months. He is going to run a big PR at Ogden! 

I feel like I know the SL marathon course like the back of my hand now. I've run it 5 times during my training. The hills didn't suck as much today. I was able to section it off in my mind to help me keep going. I feel like I'm ready! 

7:30, 6:57, 6:48, 6:36, 7:22, 7:04, 7:15, 7:07, 7:17, 6:48, 7:12, 7:10, 7:07, 7:05, 6:54, 6:50, 6:41, 6:56, 7:09, 6:44, 6:29, 6:37, 6:29- 6:58 AP

In celebration of a great day, Bryant and I went to the tattoo convention and I got myself a new tattoo. I've heard that tattoos help you run faster ;)

10 easy miles in Murray/Taylorsville. My legs felt a little tired from Saturday's run but not too bad... My right quad didn't like any steep downhills. Beautiful weather! 7:25 AP

8 miles around Murray. Nice and warm today.

Windy track workout this morning. I warmed up 2 miles and did 5x1 mile repeats at Cottonwood High (400 meter recovery jog). My last 2 repeats I tried Daniel's 484's...I liked them. You push the first 400, run the next 800 at about marathon pace, then kick it back up for the last 400. It made the mile feel easier and it made my race pace feel really slow and easy. My splits weren't super fast but I didn't expect them to be on tired legs and a windy day. I just wanted a good effort and I definitely got that: 

5:49, 5:51, 5:52, 5:53, 5:53 

I cooled down another 2 miles. Last track workout! Yahoo! Next week I'll probably do 2x3 miles or 3x2 miles...then it's easy running until the 18th! 

7 miles around Wheeler Farm. It was snowing and my legs hate me....the end.

7 miles around Murray. Cold! Legs are still sluggish. 

16 miles with my girl Emily. I think my legs are starting to come back... I felt best at mile 15. 7:05 AP

9 miles around Holladay. Perfect weather and my legs felt pretty good! 7:13 AP

Speedwork Tuesday. 3x2x1 mile with about 3 minutes jogging/walking inbetween. I didn't feel great. I got sick Saturday afternoon with a low fever and I now have a head cold. I haven't been sick since October but I'm glad it came this week and not next! I haven't been sleeping well and it was a little hard to breathe today. But I am feeling better and I'm hoping it doesn't have any affect of my race next weekend. I ran my 3 mile block loop.

3 mile- 6:15, 6:12, 6:11
2 mile- 6:12, 6:11
1 mile- 6:09

7 miles around Wheeler Farm. Nice and easy. 

6 miles around Murray. I slept in and ran at 9:00...I only got three hours of sleep last night thanks to a certain someone from Atlanta and a few shots of gin. 7:15 AP

6 miles with Emily. I love running with her. I'm so glad her knee is feeling better. My legs feel weird and I'm guessing that's from the taper...I hate tapering. 

11 miles along Highland/Creek Road. I missed having a running buddy. 7:15 AP

It's race week! 8 miles this morning with a 3 mile tempo. Like usual, I didn't feel fantastic. But theis seems to be the case the week of a marathon. But overall, my legs are feeling better. 

6:11, 6:10, 6:09

6 miles around Murray. I wore new racing flats for the last two miles to break them in a bit for Saturday. I'm nervous but excited!

(To the tune of Jingle Bells)
Running through the snow,
Only 4 miles today, 
My legs felt really good,
The marathon's on it's way!

I wish Saturday was here,
It will be nice to have it past,
I hope I run well...
And kick some major a$$!!!!!

 

Rest day. I am ready to run. My legs feel ready. 

Thanks to Allie for sending me this quote:
"Success depends on a number of factors. Some things you can't control, such as weather, the course, and competition. But some things we can control. Be mentally prepared. This is essential to running a great race. Picture the upcoming race course, your competition, and your goal. Create a mental image of yourself as a powerful runner."- Grete Waitz

2 miles...no watch...no music. I talked to myself the entire time. I said a few prayers. 6x30 second sprints at the end. LET'S DO THIS!

I'm not sure how to blog this race. I guess I'll just say that I didn't get first which was my goal all along. It's going to be a while before I wrap my head around everything. I had also hoped to run under 3:00. So I didn't accomplish two of my goals. With that being said, I am happy that I didn't give up because I wanted to...REALLY BAD. Mile 21, I seriously thought about stopping after my blister popped. I'm very proud of myself for not giving up. 

Here are a few thoughts: 

I led the race from mile 1-20. It's hard to lead a race with no one else to run with. There weren't any guys around me either. At mile 14, my legs started to feel heavy. I panicked a little but still was able to keep pace. After I was passed at mile 20, I was devastated. The girl who won (Nicole) looked so strong. She blew right by me. Come to find out she is an exBYU runner and this was her first marathon...Impressive. 

I think my 23 miler I did three weeks ago was too fast. I don't think my body recovered fully from that. I felt SO good during that run. I know that some runners can recover from a run like that fairly quickly. I think I should have taken it easier than I did. 

Thanks to everyone who sent me texts, messages, etc of support. I love this running community. I'm proud of Emily for her race today too. She ran strong with less than optimal training. She's still one of my running heroes. 

Rest. I walked 2 miles.

45 minutes on the spin bike. Stretchy stretchy foam rolling

5 miles. My legs felt surprisingly good. Nice easy pace. 8:00 AP. I had to redrain all my blisters when I got home. 

5 miles again this morning. Legs feel good but I'm still keeping it nice and slow. 8:00 AP again. 

5 miles again. 7:40 AP

8 miles. It seemed long after a week of rest. 7:45 AP. Still recovering. 

8 mils around magical wheeler farm. My legs are starting to feel normal again. 7:25 AP

6 miles. I did PT exercises yesterday so I am quite sore today. I watched the sun come up over Mt. Olympus and I felt grateful to be alive :)

8 miles on a HOT day! Wow...it was over 70 by 10 o'clock. My last two miles were under 7:00...Progress is being made. Healing is happening. Still planning on taking it easy for a while. 7:17 AP.

7 miles...beautiful morning. I'm enjoying my recovery :) 7:25 AP

6 miles in a new pair of NB tester shoes. They sent them to me yesterday. I wear them for a month and then return them and fill out a big tester survey. Pretty cool. 

I think my Garmin is possessed with an evil spirit...I'm going to preform an exorcist later today. 

13 miles. 7:30 AP

10 miles. It was really warm and I was dehydrated. I guess wine doesn't hydrate well and yesterday was my birthday so I may have had too much to drink. 7:15 AP

8 miles. 7:19 AP

10 miles up Big Cottonwood trail. Feeling good! 7:06 AP. The last few miles were 6:30-6:40 pace.

7 miles through Holladay. 7:30 AP

6 miles, no watch. 

15 miles with James, Emily and Daniel. We ran my favorite route through Holladay. We did 2 miles at 6:30ish pace for James. He is going to do great next week! He is ready. I'm amazed at how much he has improved over this past year. Big things are going to happen for him. 7:13 AP. 

10 miles along the SL marathon course. I had to workout some psychological issues. 7:03 AP

8 miles around my neighborhood. Bryant travels to Houston every other week so this week he is gone so I can't leave my sleeping babies too long so I don't run far. Lots of loops. 7:29 AP

10 miles along Highland to Creek Road. I was so dehydrated! I stopped at a dental office on Creek Road and asked for some water. 7:08 AP

8 miles around Wheeler Farm. I love that place! 7:20 AP

7 miles around my hood. It was really windy and cold. Good luck to everyone running Ogden tomorrow! 

19 enjoyable miles with my friend Emily. I love that girl. We missed the rain. 7:04 AP

10 miles. 7:18 AP.

8 miles around my hood. 7:30 AP

11 miles with a 3 mile tempo in the middle (6:25, 6:16, 6:11). The tempo felt ok but not great...But then again, this is my first little tempo since SL a month ago. 6:51 AP

9 miles around Murray. It took me a long time to warm up this morning. I thought about scrapping the run at mile 2...Ha ha. I'm glad I didn't. 

13 miles at Crescent Bar, Washington. Beautiful place! The resort we are staying at is right off the river in this gorge so I have to run 2 miles uphill to get onto any roads. Good workout. 

8 miles at Crescent Bar. I forget that these shoes give me blisters on the bottom of my feet. Urgh! 

9 miles. Back home. I miss my vacation already. 

Track workout. Warmed up 2 miles. 4x1 mile (400 recovery). I haven't hit the track in almost two months so I wasn't expecting it to be spectacular...and it wasn't. 5:59, 5:55, 5:58, 6:00. Cooled down 2 miles. 

8 rainy miles. When is it going to be summer?

6 miles Wheeeeeeler Farm

15 miles with Devra and Tee. We started at Tee's house by Brighton High and run up to Big Cottonwood Canyon, Wasatch, down 3900 South, back along 2300 East. Lots of hills! The last two miles are straight uphill...good training. 7:15 AP.

10 miles

9 miles. Sports bra and shorts are my favorite.

Tempo. 2 mile warm up, 6 mile tempo (6:34, 6:23, 6:18, 6:32, 6:18, 6:13). 2 mile cool down. I ran my 3 mile neighborhood loop twice. I felt really good! 

8 miles before 7:00 am. Today is field day and I'm in charge...it's gonna be a LONG day!

6 miles around Wheeler Farm. 

20 miles. 5 with Devra, 10 with Tee and Devra, 5 more by myself. Beautiful morning. I just didn't want to stop :) 7:10 AP

10 miles. I'm leaving this afternoon to Eastern Washington. 11 hour car drive...no husband and three kids. Oh boy.

8 miles in Washington. This town I'm staying at is very small and in a gorge so I have to run up a two mile hill everyday to go any where. Good training. HOT! 80 degrees at 6:00 am. 

8 miles 

12 miles. I decided to make this my long run for the week. It's beautiful running here but very boring. 

9 miles. Goodbye Washington. Here comes another 11 hour car drive.

10 miles back in Murray, UT. My legs feel like crap. Driving sucks! 

8 miles around Murray. I am really struggling with running right now. I have NO motivation. My legs are still super tired. I am running really slow and the thought of speed work makes me want to puke. I need to find some insipiration somewhere or else I'm going to start sleeping in until 10:00 everyday and eat ho ho's for breakfast. 

Well, I did it. I forced myself to do a track workout today. I really hope the speed helps my legs feel better. I had to share the track with the football team, the girls soccer team and the cross country team. It was busy. 

2x1600- 5:54, 5:55
3x800- 2:54, 2:54, 2:54
2x400- 1:22, 1:20

Not super fast and I felt pretty crappy while doing it. But it is done. 

8 miles with super tired legs!

6 miles. Long run tomorrow :)

20 miles with my best running buddy Emily. For some reason, it was really hard today. We ran flat on the Jordan River Parkway but we both were struggling at the end. We pushed up a hill at mile 18 and did it under 7:00. Overall, I'm always happy with a good 20 miler. 7:10 AP.

10 miles. My left leg is struggling. My quad is a little strained and my hamstring (back of knee) has been bothering me. With my lack of motivation and weak leg...it's going to be tough to run this week. 7:29 AP

8 miles. My leg is messed up. Seeing Dr. Fletcher today.

8 easy miles

16 miles. 2x8 mile Holladay loops. At mile 10 this guy who had hair like Jesus passed me so I decided to try and keep up with him for a few miles. I ended up passing him again and he was impressed. 

I'm off to Lake Powell for the rest of the week so I'll be replacing running with swimming. It will be good to rest my leg. 7:20 AP.

8 miles. Ugh. I have tendonitis in my leg again. Looks like I'll be running easy for a while. 

8 miles with 10x1 minute. I wanted to see if my leg could hold up with some speed because I'm suppose to race the Murray 5K on Saturday. I was able to run between 6:00-6:30 pace during my pushes but I felt like I was going to vomit after 10. I still don't know what to do this weekend. 

8 slow miles

Guess how many miles I ran today? 8?...You're right!

5 miles. My leg is still messed up. Tomorrow will be interesting. If I break 20:00, I'll be happy.

Well, I hit my goal of coming in under 20:00. My leg felt ok during the race but I wasn't pushing it to the max. Congrats to Emily for running a great race and taking first. This 5K is a tough one and it was really hot and muggy. The best part of the morning was winning a 62 piece Rubbermaid tupperwear set! Boo yah! I'm stocked about it. Happy birthday 'merica! 

10 miles through Holladay. My leg is feeling better :)

9 miles again through Holladay. A dad passed me while pushing a baby in a jogging stroller. I didn't like that...so I pushed it and ran a 6:30 and was barely able to catch back up to him. So to the mystery dad with the stroller: Nice work! 

10 miles from downtown, up to the U, down Memory Grove, back up in the Aves. Lots of good hills. 

No watch...no worries.

16 miles through Holladay. Beautiful weather this morning. I felt pretty good but still ran conservative. I might try some speed work next week. 7:19 AP

10 miles with my new running buddy Rebekah Winterton. She just graduated from the U and holds the 5K and 10K records there. She is speedy! 7:07 AP

8 miles by myself. I am slow today. 7:30 AP

10 miles with Rebekah. 7:05 AP. This girl is killing me! 

8 miles. Nice and easy. 

18 miles with Rebekah, Tee, Richard and May. Ran through Holladay and Murray. Tee almost got hit by a car (scary). Look both ways before you cross the streets kids! 7:12 AP

Rest day. Yard sale. My house is so freaking clean.

6 miles around Wheeler Farm. There was a sign pointing into the parking lot that said "Beef". So of course I was interested and checked things out. To my disappointment, they were not selling delicious steaks nor were there any muscular men walking around in speedos. It was some kind of farmers market with people selling homemade items. Lame. 

10 miles with Rebekah. I made her start out slower because my old body just can't jump into 7:10 pace! We still ran an overall pace of 7:09 but the first mile was a 7:50. I felt better. Beautiful sunrise, the sky looked on fire! And there was a rainbow over the west side of the valley. Breathtaking! 

9 miles around Murray. I swear I saw Jake K running along 1300 East, turned at 5300 South into a neighborhood, then south on 900 East. Jake, if this was you, please verify. If not, there is someone who has cloned you and is running in the Murray area in the mornings. 

2 mile warm up. 6 mile tempo. 2 mile cool down. I haven't run any speed since Murray 5K so I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. I am didn't feel like puking at the end so that was a bonus. 6:25 AP for the tempo. 

No Jake K sightings today. 

8 slow recovery miles. I am liking taking my recovery days nice and slow. 

6 miles with Rebekah at Wheeler Farm. It was humid, hot and windy. Must be Pioneer Day. It felt weird not having Allie in Utah running DesNews. 7:09 AP.

18 miles with Emily. It was rough. I don't know what's going on with me mentally and physically. Running is hard and I just can't find any motivation. 7:16 AP.

10 miles on a HOT and WINDY morning. Blah. I almost got hit by a car. I am so dang tired! I went wakeboarding yesterday and crashed pretty hard (don't worry James, I didn't break any ribs). But I'm feeling it today. 

Today I decided that my quad was feeling good enough to try running some downhill. I ran 4.5 miles up the Big Cottonwood Trail (averaged between 7:30-7:40) and then I ran 5.5 down the trail and around my neighbor hood (average 6:30). I felt good today which was nice since I've been feeling so crappy lately. Beautiful weather too! 55 degrees felt brisk and refreshing. 

Warmed up 3 miles to Cottonwood track. 6x800 (400 recovery). Splits- 2:55, 2:54, 2:54, 2:52, 2:52, 2:52. I haven't run on the track since the middle of June so I wasn't surprised that it was harder and slower than I wanted. Onward and upward right? 2.5 mile cooldown to hit 10. 

New Balance sent me some new shoes to test for them. They are pretty sweet! They are light weight and have a low profile so I think I'll only run my speed workouts in them. I don't want to run too far in them or I'll hurt myself. 

9 miles around Murray. Nothing exciting. I think eating a bowl of ice cream before bed every night this week has helped.

6 miles. 1 mile to Wheeeeeler Farm, 4 miles on the dirt, 1 mile back home. I love living so close to that wonderful place. 

20 miles with Emily through Holladay. Nice and rolly. I love Holladay...definitely my favorite running area. I felt SO much better this week. 7:10 AP

10 miles. My legs are still tired from Saturday. Nice and easy today.

10 miles again. Legs are feeling better. I was able to bust out a 7:20 AP! Boom! My first mile was 8:35. This old lady is taking a long time to warm up these days. 

Jake sighting #2. I had to use the bathroom so I made a pit stop in a bush at a church (#heavenlypee) and when I emerged from said bush, I saw Jake (or his clone, who can really tell these days) riding by on his bike. I yelled...I screamed...but alas, it was all in vain. He didn't hear me. My heart ached for a moment, but I told myself to chin up and continue on. So that is what I did...because I am a fighter. 

10 miles with Rebekah so we were speedy. 7:05 AP. Our first mile was a 7:50 and the rest were right at 7:00 or below. We even knocked out a couple 6:45's. I am not feeling fast these days. This was pretty uncomfortable for me. 

So tired. I don't know what's going on with me. I was dragging the entire run. 

6 miles with Rebekah over to Wheeeeler Farm. 7:10 AP.

20 miler with Rebekah up BC trail, Wasatch, back down, then I added 2 laps around my neighborhood for 20. I felt good. My last mile was a 6:43. I'm going to back off a little on my mileage for next week. 

10 miles with Rebekah. 7:10 AP

8 recovery

11.5 miles. 2 mile warm up, 8 mile tempo (6:27 AP), 1.5 mile cool down. I ran this tempo with Rebekah and she puked. It was awesome. 

9 miles with my sister wife

7 miles at Wheeeeeler Farm with my sister wife

21 miles with Emily. I felt pretty good the entire time. Poor Emily only got a couple hours of sleep and she wasn't feeling spunky. 7:10 AP

8 miles with Rebekah. This is our last run for a while because she is having surgery on Wednesday. We ran a lot of hills (she lives off Wasatch and 3300 South.) My plantar is not happy. 

9 miles around Holladay. Beautiful cool morning. 7:18 AP

Track workout at Cottonwood High. Beautiful morning! 5x1 mile repeats with 400 recovery jog. 

5:55
5:52
5:49
5:47
5:47

Warm up 2 miles, cool down 1 mile. It is my kids first day of school so I had to hussle home.

8 miles around Hollday. This week is going to be a down week for me in terms of mileage. 7:20 AP

6 miles around Wheeeeeler Farm

16 smoky miles with Devra. Nice and easy. 7:15 AP

10 miles through Holladay. I'm glad to see the mountains again! 7:17 AP

9 miles around Murray. I had a hard time warming up this morning. 

Hot and humid this morning. I almost canceled my workout plans because I hate the heat. But I decided to just tough it out (it's good training right?). 2 mile warm up. 

3x3 mile (3 minute rest/jog between)

(6:38, 6:20, 6:15)- 19:15
(6:20, 6:12, 6:09)- 18:44
(6:24, 6:21, 6:10)- 18:55

Half mile cool down because I was short on time and had to get home to get my kids ready for school. I'm happy with this workout although I wish I could have pushed it harder that last set. I can't believe I only have two and a half weeks of hard training left before I start tapering for SG. I don't think I'll really taper until two weeks out so I really have three and a half weeks. 

 

9 slow miles. My legs are tired! I visited that 8 min mile guy for most of my run! 7:38 AP

7 miles with some new kicks

20 miles with some speedy girls up North. Jasmine, Alyssa, Katie, Emily, Janea and Cynthia. We ran 16 at a comfortable pace and then pushed the last 4. Honestly, I kinda died the last two miles of the tempo. I am not feeling strong. Really tried. 7:12 AP 

10 miles and it sucked. I don't feel good. It was hard to run each step. 

Sick with the flu. This explains why my runs the past few days have been so crappy. Not the best timing to get sick but I'll take it over getting sick the week of the race. I hope I recover quickly.