Stronger, Tougher, Faster, Smaller

Good thing that today is the preplanned rest day!  I spent almost 11 hours driving in the car with my two kids to go visit Grammie in the mountains.  I actually had a wonderful time the kids were dang near perfect for the trip and I listened to The Host by Stepbanie Meyer, my only regret is that I forgot my i-pod so I can continue to listen to it during my runs this week.

Found out I have a running partner here.  My little brother says he will come run with me.  But I have a feeling I will only have my partner for the first run.  I don't like  running here, it's just two darn hilly, think East side of Salt Lake Valley but worse, more like living in Emmigration Canyon. Hill will humble me, Hills will make me stronger, Hills will make sure I don't beat my recent 5k time again, and THE HILLS WILL NOT WIN!

Well, I did my first California run today, I think I am going to start earlier.  It was 85 degrees by 9:30.  I had a really steep downhill to start and then a slight up hill followed my a mile of slight down.

Mile one 12:24

Mile two 14:57(two minute stretching after first mile.)  At about 1.1 I turned onto Irishtown road to hit some more uphill(not that I am really into running uphill, I just wanted the uphill to be in the first half of the workout not the entire second half.)  Then at 1.5 I hit the top of the hill and saw the downhill again.  Oh BOOGERS! I exclaimed, so I turned left onto Spagnoli Mine Rd which appeared to be level, turns out it was also just a trick and low and behold, more hills.

Mile three 12:07, had some decent down hill here and then only a few short steep uphill. 

Mile four 12:07, hey looking at these times, I'm impressed! SCORE!  Not too bad of a slow down considering all of the inclines.  I had a lot of slight uphill, with a really big hill up to my parents house.

Running here is hilly, but it is beautiful, there is a reason they call it Pine Grove.  I also discovered the old cemetary I didn't know was here.  I'll have to go check it out because some of them have to be over a hundred years old.  Pine Grove was settled during the gold rush.  It also smells good, when you aren't running along the main highway.

On a training note, my breathing was still fast, but my lungs never burned or ached, is that because of the altitude? It's not really low here  but is about 2600 ft .

Day 1 of running partner...........................well he stayed in bed.  I'll try my best tomorrow to get him out.  I hope to show him up a little :)

Today was slower due to several factors.  One it's dang hilly here, two I donated whole blood yesterday so I am a little short on iron.  Three I traded my running partner (little brother) for dad.  It was a great trip.  Same as yesterday except we stopped at the Pine Grove cemetary, the oldest grave I found was from 1866.  But the coolest part was we found the grave of a marine that was part of the brigade that raised the flag  in Iwo Jima after the bombing of Hiroshima.

 Man who ever knew there was so much history in my little town.

Oh side note, I was noticing in one area that the smell of the pines was unusually strong, you could even smell the sap, oh wait, look a whole fleet of wood chipping trucks were lined up there.  No wonder it smelled so good.

I know the distance stinks, but let me explain.  I am going to run 6 days a week and I found out on Monday we are going to great america(theme park) today.  We are talking a 3 hr dive each way, plus 10 hrs in park.  How was I going to run.  Well mother nature made sure I was awake and couldn't get back to sleep.  She let a skunk off somewhere close and it invaded my room, so off I went, 1 mile up at 15:58 and one mile down at 11:20, it would have been faster the the hill to my parents house is the worst hill around, and it's gravel which slows footing some.

Day 3 in a row and little brother is still sleeping, he's got three days to try and make it up.

Oh, I am so getting sick of these hills!  They are so big, so long and everywhere, there is no such thing a flat, or rolling, just big ol long hills that won't stop!  I ran up hwy 88 tonight and got a lot of attention.  Way out here is no mans land you don't see runners and I got woo wooed and honked at.  Both made me jump and I felt a bit silly.  

 Splits, I am getting tired here and I know I am recovering from the blood donation, but i cant wait to get home.

mile one 1333

mile two (1 minute to stop and stretch)1406

mile three (30 seconds to tie laces) 1218

mile four 1416 but i had a really big long uphill in this one, yuck!!!

Oh, today was so easy!  Well it was and it wasn't.  I got up fairly early and my mom signed me into the local gym as a guest (so it wouldn't cost 10 bucks) and I ran on the treadmill.  Ohhhh flat, so nice.  It was really hot, you think in California they would put air conditioning in the gyms, but its just fans.

I was a little stiff the first mile and finished about a 12:30.  Stretched for a minute and then I kept going.  I don't think I have ever sweat so much.  My heart rate was good about 160 the whole time, my legs were working but not dying, breathing quick not labored but I was dripping buckets!!! 

Middle three miles at 12 min pace mile five was 11:00 minutes and it still felt really good.  Maybe the hills haven't been so bad after all. 

The greatest part, I felt awesome in the gym, I was the youngest person there and the only going faster than a walk. I was like a gym junkie or something. 

Day 5 in a row, I think I can handle this.

Okay, this is pathetic and I know it, but I did it.  My babysitter(gram) came home late then it was dinner and clean for company.  I am tired and my legs are tired.  My shins ache and this mile was all up hill, crazy how you can't get away from that.  I got in about 6 flights of stairs too, so there is a mild bit of redemption.  Tuesday next week will be the most difficult.  Driving back to Utah that day.  10 miles in the car, and nobody will be here is the morning so I can run, everyone leaves at about 5 am.  Maybe I can get little brother to do it, because it must be done before I leave.

Wow, I don't think I have ever thought so hard about how I could get a run in.  This week was slightly lower than last but good considering my being out of town.  Next week we will see a 10% increase and have close to 22 miles. 

I don't know about distance today.  Mostly we rode the quads around the property, but the baby quad(max weight 88 lbs) doesn't make it up my parents driveway with an adult on it.  So I got to run next to it while my two year old powered it up the hill.  See, more hills, can't get away.

3 miles today before we head out and go see fairytale town, the sacramento zoo , and maybe head into the jelly belly factory for a tour and free samples:)

32 minutes for the first two miles together. 1.5 was up and up, my calves are screaming, as soon as I started an incline they hurt so bad, but I kept going and then it was only a little over 10 minutes for the last mile as a came down the hills.  I didn't want to go too fast but was more afraid of braking too much and getting hurt that way.

And I ran up the whole hill driveway moster to the end(I haven't made it to the very top this trip). 

GOOSE EGG

MN-8am, 8 hours of sleep

8-9:30, getting everyone dressed and car packed (no little brother to watch kids, everybody else left at 4am)

9:30am-11:30pm, driving-it takes a lot longer when you are by yourself with a 4yr old and 2yr old you have to stop for everything.  But I am back, and this will be a very big exception to the rule of 6 days a week. 

two treadmill miles. started at a 12:30 to warm up, ended at 10:40. Total time 23:18. Ran in the dark so nobody could see me through the windows, blinds were broken and the new ones have not been hung up yet.

I scored a deal of jelly belly sport beans while I was in the factory in CA.  I got them for about 50 cents a bag.  Anybody want any let me know, I came home with more than we can use.

Another late run out and around the fitness center and back.  I think I am going to avoid that route if I go out in the evenings again.  There are so many people there and the observers sometimes have a tendency to smoke next to the track.  No thanks, there is enough pollution in the air for me to breathe.

Do you ever get the feeling that you are going slower and slower?  This week has been so hard on me and I feel like I am falling behind in speed even though my mileage is okay.  Maybe in a week or so I will feel better when I am back into my normal routines and eating habits.

I averaged 12:30 and my legs felt so tired.  UGH, I dont know.  Tomorrow is an early morning run with Leslie! Yeah! Can't wait to run and talk. 

Ran on the Parkway with Leslie.  I can't keep a decent pace and talk I am realizing.  It's been a hard week for me.  Everything has been a bit slower.  We had a nice run and Leslie was definitely having an easier time with it, but that's okay, I'll catch up soon I hope :)

Total time 1:07 (Potty stop included) 

5.7 in 1:15.  I ran with locomotion some today.  My plan was to run mostly down emigration not up but Kelly was there and she was on here way down so I started running up to meet her then ran all the way down to hogle zoo.  It was a fun great run, uphill was definitly my slowest mile but then consistently ran a little faster every mile until I finish at 11:17.

I am going to try to get 2.25 miles in tonight so that I actually break 20 miles this week and be on track for 22 miles next week. 

Oops. I was gonna go run outside but right as we were falling asleep Chris remembered he had his early morning physical therapy. So as soon as I awoke it was get ready to go onto the treadmill.

I got in 2.5 before first child came into my room, but he did great and just played on my bed for the rest of the time. Child two came in right as I was finished. Hurray!

Mile one 12:30

Mile two 12:15

Mile 3 12:00

Mile 4 11:37

Weight change -9 lbs. The goal this week is to do 4 miles everyday and to keep them about 30 -60 seconds slower than my most recent 5k time. I think I have been trying to keep my times as low as possible, I believe if I slow down just a tad that getting more miles in a week shouldn't be so hard.

I walked another 1.5 round trip to the park and back with the kids. I walked as fast as I could pushing the stroller.

Chris got dibs on the outdoors today so I ran on the treadmill, again.............good thing I like to listen to Chunga on the radio.

I'm finding it hard to run slow for shorter distances I just can't stay at the same pace I love to pick it up some.

mile 1 12:16

mile 2 12:03

mile 3 11:41

I basically kept the same pace but about every half mile I would jump up the speed to 10 min miles for about 30 sec, just enough to stretch my legs out some but not enough to get my respiration out of control. I know the goal is 4 miles today but I am walking to the childrens musuem from my sis-in-laws and I have no idea how far it is, but I am guessing we will be pushing strollers with two/three kids each for about 3-4 more miles today. So I'll update when we get back.

We are back and it was 4.4 miles pushing 2-3 kids in the stroller about 20 min pace.  It still hurt though.  Will all this extra walking affect my training, is it good for me?  I am planning on increasing my running miles 10% each week and keeping my walking miles seperate.  Is that okay?

OH BOY!!!!

I, um, just volunteered to fill in a leg of WBR.  wow, I've never done it before and I have never met the people  I will be running with so lets see how it goes!
 

Well maybe getting outdoors isn't that great after all. It really has started warming up. We finally got the swamp cooler going but it had a leak, oh joy, and then the vent in the ceiling got knocked out. Ugh, just more work to do.

I think the walking miles are hurting me some right now, but I think I could get used to it. It took me a mile to loosen up and not feel so tight and tired.

mile 1 14:00

mile 2 12:02

mile 3 12:32 (this has a considerable amount of uphill so it is a bit harder.

mile 4 12:25

And 7am is not early enough to run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, I got it done.  Not the distance I was originally planning but because of WBR I am adding miles this weekend so I will actually be a little ahead of where I need to be.

 2.5 barefoot miles very sllloooowww on the treadmill.  And it was broken up some to take care of a sick child.  My husband is already in Logan to help with the start line he will be there until all the teams have started.

No results are posted yet, but I'm not sure how we stand. I know we were not competitive but I ran my best. I think I was the only person who stayed within 1 minute of my predicted time.

I was runner 7. Start time 6:30 pm First leg relatively flat little downhill, and yet a rookie at heart I took off too fast. Temp 90.

mile times 11:22, 12:17, 12:18, 12:23

Second leg, start time 3:19am, two hours of sleep, temp 38. This has a good downhill in the first mile and then climbed higher with each mile. Total elevation gain was over 600ft.

miles times 12:17, 13:03, 15:15, 15:07

Last leg, temperature 95, start time 2:30am , but there was a breeze and it didn't feel like the sun was cooking me but the radiant heat coming up from the asphalt was frying me. Oooh it was so hot. I had the van stop at least every mile so that I could spray myself with water and that really helped. This leg was really flat and quite nice to run.

mile times 11:40, 12:41, 11:48, 13:20

I had lots of fun, I am a little tight and sore but not incapacitated and feel like I got a really good workout. Missed the FRB teams but it's hard to see everyone in this race. Ragnar not only hurt our runner but killed our car as it overheated. We were pawning off our last runners with any car that drove by so that they at least would be where they needed to wait.

Our team won a case of myomed, something like the most beautiful disaster, after disaster, after disaster. We were an all girl team called Darla Angels. Darla was the team captain sis in law who died last year at 38 after an 8 year battle with breast cancer. So our car was decorated in that theme. It was a bit crude in some places but we laughed and so did some onlookers.

Easy miles on the treadmill.  My legs felt heavy and stiff, not sore, just stiff as I started.  

mile times, 13:15, 13:02, 12:45, 12:30, and 8:30 time(not pace) for the last .7mile. Total time 1 hour.  I was feeling pretty good by the time I hit mile 3.  There were two VPB, I know I was running at home but one bathroom and two kids makes privacy pretty rare :)

My stomach is still not happy from wasatch back and nothing sounds good so I don't want to eat.  I try to eat somethings and after two bites its blah!  So for the rest of the day I need to focus on getting at least 1400-1500, good healthy calories in.

I ran out to Lake Park again, I just can't seem to resist those rolling hills. And it is pretty scary too! You think you are safe running on a sidewalk 10ft away from the road (speed limit 35mph) And that divider is lined with medium sized trees but all that security is smashed when you see the skid marks, the tree ripped up by the roots and broken in half, and the tire tracks don't stop until they have gone over and past your "safe" sidewalk.

But on the other hand, I love warmer weather and early morning golfers because that means the bathroom right by the trail are open!

Mile times 12:51, 12:19, 12:16, 11:52, 11:46. I know one think for sure, I could not have done another mile and have it be faster than my last one. I was pretty done today, but not bad for the person who was seriously doubting her hobby this morning and questioning why I even do this.

Added 1.5 miles with a quick walk and a  fully loaded double stroller. (Free lunch for the kids).  They didn't want to ride in the car, but in the stroller, hmmmmm, I don't get it.  Maybe they were just looking for a way to wear me out.  Nothing new. 

I went and ran with Jody and Paula today.  It was three good miles for me.  I was working decently but not dying, although it was a little more difficult for me to talk than the others but it wasn't bad.  I had a lot of fun.  It was really different running without having a clue as to pace or mile times, but you're supposed to do that sometimes right?

Thank you Jody and Paula for letting me come with you today! 

Chris got outdoors today, because I got it yesterday. But the poor guy came back to me with road rash. Lost traction on some gravel in the new roundabout.

For me, 5 miles on the treadmill. Total time 60:35.

Mile times 12:45, 12:15, 12:07, 11:52, 11:30.

It feels good to be running this pace. But I, like a lot of people, feel like it's taking too long to get faster. I only have 3 months until my marathon. I know, get the distance, speed will come. I have just barely started getting my weekly mileage over 30 and this is big for me. So just stop, breathe, oooh hooooooooooooo, okay, mileage is very important. It will be your best marathon ever if you keep this up! (I tend to talk to myself alot, especially during the last few miles of the marathon.)

I don't know about anybody else but I got some free myomed from WBR am really enjoying it.  There is that soreness and a little bit of achyness that I don't even realize is there until I'm ready to go to bed and then it's like restless leg syndrome, but putting the myomed on makes it tingle and feel good and then I have no problems going to sleep. So my two cents worth.  I like it, I use it, but I won't pay $20 a tube for it.

On the treadmill, again.  But I am glad we have it.  Kids can sleep, well at least one of them.  I was on it this morning because Chris left at 6:30a for a meeting at work.  

Miles 12:30, 12:15, 12:00, 11:45, 11:27

Total time 59:57.  I did have two quicks stops to help my little handsome get some cereal, and a glass of milk.  Honestly though, the kids are learning to entertain themselves from the time they get up until I am finished running.  I love my babies:) 

Whew, I barely made this one in today.  I didn't get home from the zoosnooz and a date with the kids until after 1pm, and it was sooooooo hot.  So we waited until 9ish to go out.   Chris on the bike, me on foot, and kids in the stroller(behind the bike)  We made it almost two miles before the fireworks for westfest started so we stopped and watched and ran our way home.

Yeah, day six I did it.  A little short on miles today but that is to be expected but I have had a great week. 

Just doing a       quick report............

 Weight change: -14lbs

And I can feel my muscles while I run, and not all the jell-o!
 

This was a nice long, slow run. I don't even want to put miles times because they are so slow. But I was breathing good, my legs are just tired. Part of it I think is because I have had a hard time eating well. Not eating junk food, I've just had something going on and I feel sick no matter what I eat. I lost 6 pounds last week and eat everything I wanted. I drink only water, and sometimes skim milk and was eating very healthy because that is all my stomach can handle but I have a feeling that it wasn't enough. I feel weak. Or maybe it is just a monday and you don't work as well if it is a MOnday.

Total distance 5.8 with .25 cooldown, .25 warm up, total time 1:19.

Only partially copped out when it came to the free lunch.  I rode my bike 1.5 miles and so did the big kids(have my niece today) but a bike ride is so much better for us than the car ride:)