With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams...

Tempo run today.

Easy warm up mile, 5 tempo miles, then easy cool down mile. That's what the directions were. After I'd finished my 5 tempo miles, I was feeling good and happy with my times, so I decided to do a 10k tempo run and ran 6.25 tempo with a .75 easy recovery.

The running felt good, no pain problems. I think it was about 50 degrees outside. I put a jacket on before I went out and thought that I'd end up taking it off, but it stayed on the whole time. I really enjoy running when it's cooler and less humid outside.

Warm up mile was a 10:15, and after that the times were an average of 8:30s until my cool down portion...and I don't remember what that pace was.

20 min easy elliptical

Oh boy.  18 on the hilly trail.  Mr. ran the first 8 with me on the "hard" hills first.  Then at mile 8 I took a drink break, got more gum, put on my hat.  The weather was not overcast like I'd seen on the forecast.  It was cooler though, and that was nice.

After the first 8, I went on the easier side of the trail....or so I thought.  I'd never gone the full distance of the 5.5 down & back.  I found that right after the point where I usually turn around, there is a huge hill.  Oh well....it was fun anyway.  I passed some boy scouts doing their 10 mile hike merit badge.  On the way back, one of them told me "you're making me tired just watching you."  I guess I looked pretty squashed by that point.

After mile 13, my legs started feeling tired.  So the last 5 were a push.  I just kept telling them to keep on going, and I wasn't going to stop even if they did hurt.  I finished at the bottom of a hill, and Mr. was waiting a quarter of a mile up the trail for me with some gatorade & a luna bar. So I ran to meet him...very slowly. 

The mile walk back to the car was difficult.  It was uphill, and my legs started cramping...one leg, then other, the fronts, then the backs.  My feel actually cramped up too.  I had to have Mr. hold me up while I tried walking on cramped up rigid feet.  I'm sure we looked ridiculous.  I need to know what is causing the cramps after the long runs so I can put an end to them.

Total time was 3 hrs exactly.  I guess that's over-all a 10mm.  I think that's okay for the trail runs.  I'm just happy I finished. :-)

easy two mile walk. muscles are very sore, so lots of stretching in between sitting through sessions of conference.

Sore muscles made the first half mile very hard.  I'm not sure I can even call it running.  It felt more like gimping along.  And it was slow.  But I'm glad I did it. 

physical therapy stretches & strengthening

60 degrees with light rain.  9:46 first mile, 9:13 second mile. 

Saturday's 20 is looming large.  I'll have a great running partner, so that will make it easier.

Legs were sleepy, but I was happy to be out running in the rain again.  Except for the mist on my glasses, I love the early morning light rain runs.

My goal this morning was to try and run slow and easy.  Trying to get used to the pace I'll need to keep for the marathon.  I over did it on the first mile and got in at a 10:40.  So I tried speeding up a little...that's easier said than done.  I'll just say the 10:40 was my warm up.

I managed to keep around a 9:40 for the next 5 miles.  I guess that's better than a 10:40.  My legs were still a little sore from Friday, but I can feel the pain is going away. Tomorrow is my tempo...I think it's a 7 miler.  I just want to make sure I'm not pushing too much and push into an injury. 

 And how exciting...I forgot to say that I was happy on Saturday when I put my 100th mile on my new shoes.  I love them & can't believe how the miles add up.

Tempo run today.  I don't usually run 8 in the morning, so I woke up early to make sure I'd have time for all of it.  I'm beginning to question my sanity when I wake up at 4 am so I can log extra miles.

Warm up mile, 1600x 8:00 (4 times) with 800 recovery jogs, cool down for 1.5 miles.

Not sure on my pace for the warm up...I kept my tempo paces pretty even.  3 were under 8 and one was just over 8.  The last mile of the cool down was a 9:30.  My legs were tired there at the end. 

Did a quick cold water bath while I ate my warm oatmeal breakfast.  That was weird, but I thought the warm food would off-set the cold water.  And I'm not above weird.

Later, I was trying to do my physical therapy strengthening exercises, but half way through, I saw the comforter hanging off the end of the bed, and I pulled it over me and fell asleep.  I knew I wouldn't sleep long because seminary boy would be home in the next 10 minutes.  So I just laid on the floor and took a nap at 6:30 in the morning.  It was great.

Did a little running after school.  I had my old shoes, and I forgot my knee brace, so it was a very slow and short .75 run.  I transitioned to the bleachers and walked the bleachers for 20 minutes.  It was slow, but I like to feel those glutes engaged on the bleachers.  I can just imagine them getting firmer....  but it's all just in my imagination.

I wanted to run and sleep in this morning.  So I comprimised and slept in a little and ran a little. 

My legs are still a little tired/sore from last Saturday, and I know I'll need them strong for this Saturday.  I don't want to over-do it with training, but I don't want to under-do it either.  If I run a couple more miles today after school, then I'll get around 40 miles in for the week.  That's 5 miles more than last week, so I'm improving my mileage slowly.

warm up mile was 9:40, then the other 1.4 miles were around an 8:55. 

After school, I ran for a couple of miles around the adjacent neighborhood.  Tried to run moderate.  I think both miles were sub 9. 

Didn't have a chance to cool down & stretch afterward.  My groin was sore all night.  I made sure I stretched plenty before going to bed.

I was up late, I knew I needed my sleep, and since my groin was a little sore, I knew I needed to rest it before the 20 miles tomorrow.

So I slept in and worked on only my strength training/stretching.

Why is it that my lazy mornings are always the days I can't get to work on time? Oh yeah, I know. Today I was making the lovely chicken tortilla soup that I'll be enjoying for dinner. Gotta love the crock pot soup in the fall (only in my perfect fall-soup picture, it wouldn't be 86 degrees outside).

Stayed up late Friday night because I was so excited that Terri was in town to run the 20 with me.  I ate my soup and made oatmeal/whole wheat/flax seed cookies.  Good stuff.

Woke up and had my regular breakfast and tried to drink some extra fluids. 

The weather forecast was rainy and a little breezy, so I wasn't worried about being hot. Big mistake.  It was just humid, no rain, and the sun seemed to beat down with a vengeance on us from miles 2-20.  The shade of trees occasionally was a welcome break from the sun.  There wasn't any escaping the humidity.  It seemed to just sap our strength.

We ran a 7 mile loop, so every 7 we were back at the car for more water, gatorade, etc.  I can't remember well enough to break it all down, but we started at a good pace, and ended up with a slower than expected pace.

I did my Gu at miles 5,10, 15.  I think I would have liked to have had another one at mile 19, but I managed okay without.  I did need extra gatorade and water the last 7 miles.  I'm glad they have water & gatorade stops every other mile for the last few miles of the race.  I'm sure I'll need it.  At mile 18, I had some digestive problems.  It wasn't good.

BUT...I did finish all 20 miles, and the great part was that I didn't get leg cramps after I was done.  The increased sodium and the bananas 3 days in a row must have paid off. 

I did have problems with the tops of my shoes feeling like they were too tight after mile 14.  I had to unlace and release the tension on the top of my shoe a couple of different times.  I guess this was due to my feet swelling? 

Went out for steak dinner later Saturday.  I ate too many rolls before my meal came out, and couldn't even finish the steak...but I like leftovers, so it's all good!

I think our overall time for 20 miles was 3:39.  That's an average 11 mm.  I'm blaming the heat and humidity.  It was 87 degrees with 87% humidity.  We ran from 10-2.  It got overcast and cooled off as we were doing our cool down walk at the end.  Go figure!

Easy run today in the am.  BUT it felt better than my easy run last Monday after my 18 mile trail run.  So I see a little improvement. 

The weather was better today than Saturday.  Just around 60 degrees this morning.  Humidity 87%.  No sun...LOL!

May try and run again this afternoon for a couple more easy miles.

Great run this morning.  Nice, cool weather.  57^o with 89% humidity.

First mile was slow for a warm up.  My watch wasn't keeping mileage, so I had to stop after I got to the point where I knew 1 mile was, and then I started my watch over again.  It worked fine the rest of the time.  My pace was around 9:30 for miles 2-5.  It was a 9:17 for mile 6.  I didn't see the average for the last .44, but it was probably around the same speed.

Tomorrow is a tempo run, so I just ran comfortable today.  The top of my foot is still sore when my shoe ties down on it.  I've loosened it up as much as I can.  I even tried tying the shoes in a different way.  Maybe it's just sore and needs to heal.  It'll have to wait till taper week I guess.

I went to bed at 7 last night because I was frustrated at nearly everyone in the world.  Sleep seemed like the best way to not go around offending people.  It was nice to get some extra rest, but I still needed a 15 min nap this morning after my run. 

On a happier note, I found an old Lindor truffle this morning as I was rummaging around for garlic.  I don't know how old it is, or where it came from, but I'm enjoying it :-)

Had to get up at 4 again to log the miles before doing the seminary drive.  If I can say anything about the army's schedule, it's this: unreliable.  I would like to go into a ranting tirade right now, but I'll stop.  I've got other things to rant about.

Tempo run.  Warm up mile was a 10:10, then the goal was 5 miles at a 8:50 pace with a cool down mile.  Instead, I ran the last 6 miles at a 8:25-8:39 pace.  It felt like a great tempo pace.  I tried to imagine myself keeping the pace for the Halloween 10K.  I think I might be able to pull it off, as long as there aren't too many hills.

At mile 1, there was a big dog out in someone's front yard.  He barked at me, and followed me along the yard, but never came out in the street at me.  I took the safety off the pepper spray just in case.  I changed my route a little to avoid going back there, because I didn't want to ask for trouble.

Then, at mile 5.5, a small Chiuhahua type dog came out in the road after me.  I was running on the shoulder of the road across the street from his house.  He was out in the road barking after me, and chasing me.  His owner was out in the yard yelling at the dog, but the dog was not responding to his owner.  So I sprayed the pepper spray in the direction of the dog.  I could see the mist particles in my headlight floating over toward the dog as he was running after me.  As soon as they got near him, he turned around and ran home.  I thought I heard him whimpering, but there were so many other dogs barking in the neighborhood (I guess they were cheering him on), and I couldn't tell one bark from another.  I just kept on running...I thought that was better than going back and having a confrontation with the owner.

I do feel bad for the poor dog.  But I feel like I did what was in my best interest.  I was under a tight time schedule to get my miles in before I had to drive to seminary.  I knew I didn't have time to deal with a dog bite.  Hope the dog is okay now.  I also hope the owner doesn't take his dog out at 5 am without a leash anymore either.

After I got home from the seminary drive, I rubbed the side of my nose with my wrist (it was itching) and there must have been some residual spray on my arm, because my nose was on fire!  I had to wash my face off with the closest soap the was around. The soap helped relieve some of the burn, and it was totally gone in 5 minutes, but I learned my lesson.  Wash my entire arm after using the spray...not just my hands!

Hopefully I'll get in a couple more miles tonight, but it's started raining, and I'm not sure what it's going to be like at 4 pm.

5am- 61^o , 70% humidity, wind at 12mph.   Not bad weather.

What a morning :-)  These are the days of my life......

After school run in the rain.  Had to cut it short because middle school track didn't stay late.  But I managed to get in a couple of good miles before I had to quit.  My legs felt nice and tired, so I considered it a good training run.  9:10 for mile 1, and 8:30 for mile 2.  About the same for the last half mile.

I slept all night with the window open listening to the rain.  It was so nice that I didn't want to get up.  I managed to get out of bed at 5:30 and run a little before I had to get ready for the day.  I did get my stretching and physical therapy strengthening done, so it wasn't a total wash.

It was 50^o, 89% humidity, winds 8 mph, and the rain had just slowed to a drizzle.  It was really nice to run in...except for the glasses.  I ended up just taking them off because I could see better with them off than on.  But best of all....no dogs today :-)

I don't think I'll get in my 5 extra miles this week.   I think it'll be okay anyway.

 I did manage a 1.25 quick loop around the hood with my daughter after school.  I asked her if she wanted to run, and she said yes, yes, yes.  I told her we didn't have to, and I could just start dinner early.  She insisted that we run.  So I changed, and we started out on the road.  Not 1/4 of a mile into it, she quit!  I told her it was HER fault I was out there, and she'd better get running.  (tough love)  She ran off & on the rest of the way with me.  Silly teenagers.

Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I'll need to do my strength training later.  Soup for dinner again tonight.  Just regular chicken and rice.  It'll be nice now that the weather's cooled down. 

High of 59 expected tomorrow.  That's going to beat the 87 on last Saturday's run.  No rain expected till Saturday night.

I did not want to run today.  I felt tired and just wanted to stay in bed.  I finally made myself get up and get ready, because I knew I had to "get 'er done."

As I was eating my breakfast, I realized I hadn't had my bananas, and that I didn't even have any bananas.  I worried that my leg cramps would be back.  But the chicken soup pulled me through, and I didn't have any problems.

I had to stay close to home, so I ran a 4.1 mile long loop through the hood, then back tracked 1.2 miles on the short loop.  I did this over and over till I logged in my miles.  I stopped at the house for a quick potty break after mile 4, then for water & gu at 5, 11, 16, 20.  I had gatorade too.  At some point, I ran in a grabbed a new battery for my mp3 player.  Can't remember when it was. 

My goal was to finish 20 miles.  After the first 5 knocked out the cob-webs, I fell into a nice rythm and around mile 17, I felt like I was doing so well that I would try and go a little further than just 20.  I hadn't put in my 5 extra miles for the week, and I felt like I had the energy to do a few more than 20.  It was just an amazingly great run.  Great weather, nice breeze, some sun.  No dogs in the road coming after me.  Just a great run. 

Once a year or so, there's a run when things go well, and you just feel like you can keep going.  That's how I felt at mile 20.  So I went for another 4 mile loop.  Funny thing was, as soon as I took off on the last 4, I started getting a side ache, then weird hip pains, and I almost threw in the towel.  But I worked through them, and kept on going.  My pace was a little slower for the last four, but it was still a pace I was happy with.  Such a difference from last week.

At mile 20, my overall average pace was 9:31.  I kept it about that pace the whole time.  10 seconds +/-, but pretty consistent.  At mile 24.09, it was 9:33.  I can't say what made it so great, but I'm happy with how well it went.  And since I went 24, I do feel confident now that I can do 26.2.   I'm glad that the long training runs are over, though.  I need my Saturdays back. 

I had a nice ice bath after I got back, then a warm shower, and off for errands.  We went to see a dollar theater movie.  I thought I'd fall asleep, but I was surprised I stayed awake.  I guess 2 huge diet pepsi drinks will do that for me :-)

Thanks to Terri, RAD & Carolyn for the good positive thoughts & helping me feel like I could do it.  You're the best.

2 mile easy walk in the pm

Easy recovery miles this morning.  It was around 40^o outside, so I was dressed warmly.  I hadn't worn my running tights since spring.  I realized I might need to get used to running in them for the race if it's that cold on race day.  

My warm up mile was a 10:08, then mile 2 was around 9:30, then the last 3/4 mile was around 9mm. My parts all felt good, but I could tell my effort was more than it should have been.  I guess they're still recovering from Saturday.

Because my training miles never got really high, should I try and keep my weekly training miles about the same and just diminish my long run miles until the week of the race?  I was only getting 20-25 miles pre-long run in.  Should I try and keep that level until race week, or taper those down too?

Had to drive to seminary again, so I only got in 4 miles before it was time to go.  Did some physical therapy after the drive.  I didn't have time for my Garmin to find the satellites before I started running, so mile one was a ? on the pace.  The other miles were 8:50, 8:35, 8:20. 

My legs felt okay, but were still a little worn out/tired.  I hope my tempo run tomorrow goes well.  My last 8 mile tempo run before the race.  The end of tunnel is getting closer!

Luckily, I've got some FAUBLOUS new red and black apple-bottom skorts to run in for the race.   I'm so excited to try them out this weekend when it gets a tad bit warmer for my run.  I just know they're gonig to be fast!  Thanks little RAD. :-)

40^o  81% humidity

In the afternoon, I was able to get a couple of miles in with some cool running ladies from work.  I forgot my garmin, so I said we'd just run a path I'd run before, and keep track of the time on my stopwatch.  Except I forgot to start the time on the stopwatch, so we ran for a while.  I know it was 2 miles we ran...it could have been just a little over.  Not sure on the pace.  Probably a 10mm average.

Easy eight...lol.   No, this was my tempo run today.  8 miles total.  1.5 warm up, then 4 sets of 1600x 8:11 (I was able to do a little bit faster)  with 800 recovery.  1 mile cool down (included the last recovery).

I did not want to get out of bed this morning.  I think I've said that every day for the last 5 days.  It's not getting better.  I thought maybe I'd be motivated because this is my last really tough tempo run....but I wasn't.  I almost persuaded myself to sleep in and do it tomorrow. 

The end is in sight, but I feel weary from the journey.  I'm looking forward to the week-end taper and the last week of easy workouts.  But most of all, I'm looking forward to finishing the marathon so I can whatever I feel like doing....especially if it includes sleep.

I think of Carolyn...running every day for an entire year.  That is awesome dedication. 

I managed to get the running program to come up on my watch.  But I wasn't prepared for all of the beeping it was going to do.  I'm not sure why there were extra beeps along the way.  At one point on my second tempo mile, I heard it beep, and the remaining distance portion said .50 so I thought that meant my tempo portion was over, and I started slowing down.  About 1/4 of a mile later, I realized I was wrong, and I hadn't even finished the mile tempo...I blame it on the early hour.   So my second tempo run was slower than it should have been. 

Came home and showered so I could try and see some of the shooting stars that were supposed to be out this am around 6.  I didn't see any shooting stars, but I did see an awesome sattelite zip through Orion.  Supercool.

45^o,  83% humidity. 

lap	dist	pace
1	1.5	10:23
2	1	7:39
3	.5	9:22
4	1	8:17
5	.5	9:21
6	1	7:48
7	.5	9:08
8	1	7:58
9	.5	9:20
10	.52	9:22

47^o     81% humidity       clear skies.......beautiful

Slow warm up mile.  Not sure of the pace, my garmin hadn't picked up the satellites.  So I ran the distance and started keeping track after I reached the mile point.

Started mile 2 at moderate effort, and it was around an 8:50 pace.  Mile 3 was around an 8:30 pace, and mile 4 was an 8:50 pace.  It got harder to keep up the pace as the miles went on.  The moderate effort went from a 5 to a 7, but I knew it was only for a short time, so I just went with it.  The last mile I ran slower..I wanted an easy cool down.  I can't remember the exact pace, but it was between a 9 & 9:30.  1/3 mile walk at the end. 

I managed a quick nap before work. I'm loving those morning naps.

Probably do running/bleachers after work as well. 

Added two miles after work.  Went running with someone who hasn't run for a while, so they were slow and easy miles.  We even walked a little, but it was good company and I enjoyed the sunshine.

I got to sleep in and do 30 min easy elliptical this morning.  I think it's my first Friday actually doing something for a while.  Since I only have 12 miles tomorrow, I figured I could do a little something today and not be totally burned out.

Went to run our favorite trail and there was a sign up that said the trail was closed until the end of December because of rifle hunting in the area.  Who is hunting rifles?  J/K.  We were bummed, and thought we'd go try another nearby trail that goes around a lake.

The lake trail wasn't what we thought it would be.  It was very uneven, very sandy, and it was hard to tell where we were supposed to go, because it kept shooting off in different directions that all dead-ended.  We got tired of trying to figure it out after 2+ miles and headed back to the car.  Mr. had run out of steam, and I wasn't liking the uneven surface.  At mile 3.6 I was back at the car.  We decided that I'd just run the road back to base and he'd drive along in the car and stop to give me water, gatorade, etc. when I needed it.

For the first 4 miles, there wasn't a shoulder on the road.  Just 2 lanes @ 55 mph.  I was having to run in the grass/weeds on the side of the road whenever a car came by.  The road was really hilly. Not steep hills, just a lot of ups & downs.   The second 4+ miles had a small shoulder, so it was less "off road" running.  Much better.  We did find some interesting items on the side of the road as I was running along.  Nothing I'd post on a family friendly blog though.

The weather forcast was supposed to be overcast & rainy.  It was just humid and hot..no rain, and too much sun.  When we started, it was 71^o with 99% humidity, and when I ended, it was 76% with 80% humidity.

I think I underestimated 12 miles.  After 24 last week, I thought 12 would be a walk in the park, and didn't fuel up correctly yesterday.  I realized when I was done today that 12 miles is something I should plan for a little better. 

Lots of new and different variables today with my run.  I don't think my head was in the game like it should have been.  But I did feel fabulous in my new apple bottom running skirt!  With extra room in the pockets for my cell phone and my gu.  Thanks again Little RAD.

I only had a 2 mile run this morning, so I decided to hit the snooze button and get a little extra sleep.  I guess I hit the off button instead.  I woke up just after 6 when my daughter was getting ready to leave for school.

I asked her why she didn't wake me up and she said that she thought I was out running.  I guess that's a reasonable assumption to make.  I can't be too mad, I did enjoy the sleep.

Some strength training in the am. 

Okay, guilt set in and I did four after work.  Overall pace 8:45, but the first two miles were rough.  Lead legs that wouldn't seem to get into a rhythm.  The last two miles felt better.  I sprinted the last 1/4 of a mile.  Times were 9:07, 8:59, 8:47, 8:04.

Now for dinner...

Four miles this morning. Started out with a slow warm up, then increased speed gradually. Legs still feel a bit tired.

57 degrees, 98% humidity

9:05 average pace. 10:08, 9:04, 8:46, 8:22.

I'd like to do a 10K this Saturday. It's the week before the marathon. My training guide says to do 8 miles. So I'd do a couple mile warm up or cool down, and then do the run at moderate pace. Do y'all think that would be okay, or is it too close to the big run?

I had a tempo run on the calendar today.  It was 1 mile warm up & cool down with 3 miles at a 8:25 pace.

I ran the first w/o my garmin because I didn't want to wait for it to find the satellites.  The tempo miles were good, and it felt like I was pushing myself to keep the pace.  My paces were 8:14, 8:13, 8:12. 

After my last tempo mile, I tried to slow down, and immediately got a sharp pain behind my knee.  Running came to a halt and walking was very difficult.  I hobbled to the mailbox where I do my stretching, and tried stretching the muscles out.  I wonder if my knee brace was too tight.  Not really sure what the cause was, but it was the end of my running for the morning.

Put ice on it for a while as I was getting ready for work.  It's been 3 hours and it's still a bit tender, but I can walk w/o any troubles.  I took some naproxen and hopefully it'll work out by tomorrow.

It's been cooling off in the mornings, and the forecast was for rain this morning.  So I put on my running tights, long sleeve shirt, jacket, etc.  I took one step outside and thought I was having a heat stroke.  My outdoor thermometer said it was 79^o.  It wasn't raining, but it was humid.  I checked wunderground, and it said 73^o with 98% humidity.  I had to take a few min for a wardrobe change before I went on my run.  After 4 miles, I was dripping wet...and it hadn't rained a drop. 

I sure hope the weather isn't THAT bad for the race.  I think I'd rather take cold rain than humid heat.  But I'm holding out for cool, clear skies.

I ran short and easy this morning.  Wanted to make sure my leg was okay. 

pace times were 10:20, 9:57, 9:33

clear skies, in the 50's and not so humid..........Just Right!

Leg feels fine, so that's good.  AND....I'm not tired, so I don't feel like I need a nap this morning.  :-)

Hope everyone out west has a safe run in the cold and snow.  Can't wait to read about it.

Strength training/physical therapy.