Moving Forward

Got my run in before work again! If Carolyn in the President of Jun's sub-6 club, and Sno is the VP... I think I'm getting to be the secretary LOL!!

Legs felt more tired today then yesterday... but I also did a different loop that I think has more hills, so maybe that was part of it also. 

After work I channeled my inner Jun and went rock climbing with some co-workers. I made it to the top of both climbs this time and I think I did it a bit faster and maybe even with a bit more technique. Anyway it was pretty fun!

 Laps: 9:06, 9:06, 8:24, 8:58, 9:12, 8:27, (.64) 9:01

6.64 miles - 58:56

Another sub-six morning!! But it was a very difficult morning/day. I usually have all my running stuff set up so I'm not hunting for things in the morning, but I got home later then usual because of the rock climbing and I forgot to set things up. Then I had some potty issues... maybe I should be getting up earlier... but I just don't think I will be able to. So I knew that I was hurting for time so I tried to do my route faster... nope not happening... legs were like lead!!! So I muddled through 5.32 miles before work... then went to the gym and slogged out 2 more on the treadmill. I also did some core work. But I was have been very sore today (arms and back) probably the climbing, but I don't remember being this sore last time... Maybe just a bad day? Here's to hoping that tomorrow will feel better. 

laps in the morning: 8:56, 9:34, 8:33, 9:04, 8:38, (.32) 8:16

Another morning run before work!! Got out the door on time but then a little over a 1/2 mile I had to run back to my house for a quick potty break :( Maybe soon I will get all the kinks work out of this new schedule. It was a pretty nice run... I had a near miss when a car didn't see me at an intersection. The thing that surprised me was that I was at least one step into the intersection when they turned right into me. It's hard to see in the dark if they see me. I usually try to make some sort of eye contact with the drive to confirm that they see me... but I think I will just always assume that they don't. Even with a headlight and a flashing tail light they didn't see me. I'm surprised when I see other runners at this time of morning that have no lights. 

laps: 9:07, 9:40, 8:11, 8:38, 9:27, (.66) 8:25, 

5.66 miles - 50:38

Lately I have been on a kick of trying new things and I'm trying very hard to not to be so fearful of change or trying new thing. I have been reflecting on this for a while and have come to the conclusion of why I'm feeling this way. It will be 5 year anniversary of the death of my friend in just a few weeks. He was one of the most fearless people I know. I remember thinking at his funeral that I really needed to try to incorporate some of this in my life. I guess this is why I have been doing to rock climbing. I have also been entering my art into more competitions and trying to get it in more publications.

So my work had a forced day off today and a few of the ladies that I work with ask me to go with them to have a girls night out. One girl has a trailer on some land up in the mountains and 4 wheelers etc. I am usually not someone to go along with anything like this. My husband has said many times that I'm not very social... again it's a fear based thing, and 4 wheelers are certainly not something I have ever done. I had a great time even though I got dumped off the 4 wheeler. I sknned up my leg pretty good and my neck is got hurt a bit... I think just a bit strained from the impact of falling. My plan was to run in the morning but my neck was still a bit buggy. When I got home I had a haircut appointment and I even was brave enough to get a different hair style!! Pretty crazy!

My neck still bugged a bit but I took some meds. and that seemed to help. My running friend wanted to run trails today! So we ran the shore line trail above Ogden. My husband came with me and walked the dog in the trails while we ran. Beautiful morning and very nice run. We both seemed to be struggling this morning, and trails always seem to slow us down anyway. This is a low mileage week... Oh well I hope next week will be better. 

AP:11:06

7.71 miles - 1:25:30

No sub six this morning... but it was lovely to sleep in :) Had a nice run today got to do a bit longer then I normally would be able to because of the holiday!! I always have trouble taking my meds. like I should when I'm on break from my normal schedule, I need to be careful about this, because my legs were feeling pretty tired and heavy again on the hills and I was thinking it might be because of that. For the most part it was not too bad of a run.

8.06 miles - 1:10:24

laps: 9:23, 8:47, 8:32, 8:30, 8:20, 8:32, 9:27, 8:23

I'm really hating trying to remember my run in the morning almost ten hours after I have run it... But I guess this is my new routine. I miss having more time to scan the blogs and feel like a part of the community. 

Anyway 5.66 miles in the morning before work, about the only thing I really can remember right now is that it is getting noticiable cooler in undeveloped areas of my run. Funny how houses and stuff make it warmer. Oh ya I got a bit spooked my some horses... not that they did anything, just in the dark they somehow seem a bit creepy to me. 

laps: 9:12, 9:16, 8:16, 8:35, 9:08, (.66) 8:35

After work I went to the gym and did a little bit of circuit training... I guess thats the best thing to call it. By the track they have some weights and mats, so I would run some fast laps... then do some core work... then run some more fast laps... then do some arms... etc. until I got in about 2 more mile.

Hope everyone is having a great week :)

Today did not feel good!!! I really really really did not want to get up and run. I even stood on the porch for a brief second or two thinking I would just turn around and go back to bed… “But you are already dressed… just start!!” “Just go back and maybe you will be able to fall asleep for a bit.” I finally just started… It was a forced short, slow run. I should say easy but effort wise it seemed very hard. I usually pack my gym bag so that I can get a few more miles in at the gym, but I told myself “NO” take it a bit easier today and just do the one run.

On the positive side, I saw two shooting stars… it was a beautiful morning even though I was grumpy. I was just passing another runner when I saw the second shooting star. She was going the opposite direction from me. I yelled out to her that there was a shooting star, and inadvertently flashed her in the face with my headlamp. I don’t think she was too happy with me.

I’m getting used to the new headlamp. Because of the strap across the top of my head I have had to find new ways to wear my hair. Today I looked like Princess Leah on crack LOL!! But it made it much easier today to run. The strap stayed in place much better. Not that I care too much about the way I look when I run but it’s probably a good thing I have been running in the dark.

5.37 miles – 49:20

I got up to run... I even got dress and had my garmin on my arm... but I just could not put on my shoes and get out the door. I was so pathetic this morning. I think three nights of not very good sleep has caught up with me. I sat there looking at my shoes for a while, then laid back in bed in my clothes. Soooo pathetic LOL

So my run today was after work. I thought it would be uncomfortably hot, but it was not as bad as I thought. I don't know if I forgot to turn off my garmin in the morning but it was dead so I had a low tech run. I ran my usuall loop on the parkway and I think it's about 7 miles. I kept it slow and easy!! I only saw one of my regulars (the not Willey Nelson guy and his wife) I passed them three times between potty breaks and the turnaround point and I waved and smiled each time... I got no responce from either of them. It made me miss my other regulars. Who are always so smiley no matter how many times they see me. I don't have laps or time... it was very weird to not have my garmin on. I kept looking at my wrist and when I had to stop for potty breaks I kept wanted to stop it. LOL 

I slept very well last night… so well that I don’t remember turning off the alarm. Fridays are slower days at work so I snuck out at lunch time to have a run. It was crazy hot today though. I really was not ready for the temps to be that hot. The path by my work is a bit less shady and there was no breeze what so ever. Needless to say I was a sweaty mess when I got back. We do have showers here so that is good. I’m kind of self conscious about being in my running clothes here at work, and just running at work period. So I make sure I change in the bathroom closest to the doors I need to go out of. I also try to make sure I leave when most people have already left for lunch. Today when I came running back to the door, there was a big group of people having a work related lunch together… AGHHH I went out into the parking lot so I would not have to run right by them on the side walk, but they were all looking any way…. I gave them a big cheesy grin and hurried into the doors… so embarrassing!

5.80 miles – 50:50

Laps: 8:52, 8:40, 8:38, 8:36, 8:42, (.80) 9:15

Looking at the laps now I can see that besides the heat, I was probably running too fast. I was meaning to have an easy run today. I think I really need to start working on making my easy runs easy. A question to the masses… when you are planning an easy run, do you just monitor your garmin and make sure you are staying within your target? How do you know what your target is for an easy run?

I was on my own today... Sue had other obligations. I went to the parkway and ran to the top then crossed the street and ran the birdsong trail, I think it's was about 2 miles on the trail. There was a big group of women running on the trail. They are Ogden's elite women runners. The one in front was Anna Judd. She won the Ogden marathon this year. So for a brief second I felt pretty good running with the fast ladies. Then I ran back down the parkway. It was crazy windy today so going down felt pretty good. As I was heading back up the parkway I realized I had miss calculated my turnaround point and I was going to be a mile short. By now the head wind was really taking it's toll on me along with a lack of fuel, so I was really starting to struggle. When the fast ladies passed me again looking strong and fast that was it... I was defeated. I struggled back to my car and didn't even try to get one more mile all I wanted was some food. When I got home my lovely hubby offered to make me eggs hashbrowns and toast!! He is wonderful!! 

So I'm off to lock myself in my doll room. I have started a sculpture for my oldest sisters birthday. It's not til Feb. 5th, but between holidays and time constraints I know that I need to start working on it now. 

Have a great weekend bloggers :)

9 miles - 1:24:39       average pace - 9:24

Today I ran before work!!! I was planning on climbing after work with my co-workers, but it got canceled due to some other obligations, and the weather is getting rainy so it was probably for the best.

About 1 mile into my run I was back at my house for a potty break… it would be nice if I could make it through a run lately without needed a potty break. Anyway for the most part it was a good run, felt pretty good most of it. I struggled a bit on the two hills. Legs started to hurt and breathing was getting hard… don’t really know what that is about.

6.16 miles – 54:16

Laps: 9:12, 9:13, 8:20, 8:23, 9:21, 8.26, (.16) 8:39

I had a horrible stressful night and could not sleep... so I didn't get up early and run even though I was awake. I had a few weird episodes of nausea and dizzyness in the morning at work. After work I was feeling a bit better so I ran the parkway. I took it pretty easy, and started to feel better about the middle of my run.

A OK run... didn't feel very well, and had a tiny touch of nausea. I had a massage and the guy that works on me works out of the human performance lab up at Weber State University so after I was done I decided to just run around up there. I ran the Bues pond. It's a nice little park with a pond and a path that is just over a 1/4 a mile. I would run one lap at medium/hard effort the one at easy. I wonder if one day I will be able to have consistent days of easy eights or tens like some on the blog. 

Too tired to explain... I promise to explain tomorrow :)

For those of you that have been worried about me… sorry for being absent, but I will explain what has been going on.

I had a big fat 0 on Thursday because I just could not get out of bed, and then I had a work banquet that night. I have been at this company for 15 years in November. Pretty crazy! I got a run on Friday… nothing too great just an easy one, and same with Saturday morning.

So I have been having a VERY stressful week. I have not been feeling very well either. My husband started a week long vacation on Saturday and I knew that he really wanted to get away and do something fun. I’m usually not very good at being spontaneous. But Saturday morning after my run we packed up and took both our mothers and our youngest daughter and drove to Vegas! So my runs on Monday and Tuesday were on the Vegas strip!! I got my butt slapped on Monday as I ran through an intersection! Pretty wild! We took my mother so she could visit one of he brothers that she has not seen in a few years. We took my mother-in-law because she loves to gamble just like my husband and our youngest daughter just so she could have some fun also. My youngest son could not get off work, so he stayed home.

I had a wonderful time! I relaxed by the pool and read my book. We did all three rides on top of the Stratosphere Casino, and saw three shows! It felt really good to just decompress after last week. The one thing that was probably bad was all the food that I ate! Holy Cow! Yep I probably ate as much as a cow!

So today I ran before work… parent teacher conference tonight. Didn’t get a lot of miles in, but it was an OK run. I’m still experiencing some quick but strong bouts of nausea at times, it’s kinda weird. I had some tummy issues this morning, but I think that had more to do with all the junk I ate over the weekend. So it’s back to being more watchful of my diet and I hope it helps with both the tummy issues and maybe the nausea issue. It took me a while to feel warmed up to run this morning… still a bit achy even at the end.

5.28 miles – 47:23

Laps: 9:01, 9:40, 9:12, 8:39, 8:30, (.28) 8:23,

The plan today was to run my warm up to the 21st street pond. Then do three miles at 8mm pace with a .25 rest between. Then run back to my car. I took the auto lap off the garmin so that I could make the laps myself.

My execution of the plan: I ran 1.75 to the pond...at 8:56 pace. I seem to have a problem with my warm ups... I think they are always a bit too fast. I ran until my garmin read an even mile marker so that I would not have to do too much math LOL.

1 miles at 7.51 pace. So for my first mile I was probably a bit too fast... this was difficult by the end I was ready to slow down.

.25 at 9:59 pace. I had to walk a bit to catch my breath.

Next 1 mile fast at 7:49 pace... again this was very difficult by the end lungs and legs were burning!

.25 at 10:04pace, had to walk a bit... as I was getting closer to my last fast bit I was really dreading it, but kept telling myself just one more.

Last 1 mile at 8:13... at about .25 to the end of the last fast mile I really started to hurt! My left hip joint and pubic bone felt like they were on fire! I should have stopped but I wanted to make the entire mile.

.33 at 11:01... this was suposed to be .25 but I was hurting so much I forgot to hit the lap button.

Last 1.90 miles was a slow limp back to the car. I was seriously hurting and still am! I'm so upset that I'm this out of shape! I finally try to do a serious work out and not just my usual run, and I end up hurt, and to top it off I signed up for a race Saturday!!! CRAP!!!

I will see how I feel tomorrow it I run or not. How do you know if you have just a pulled muscle or something more serious. When my running friend had pelvic stress fractures she said she could not stand the one leg that hurt. So I stood on my left foot and I can do it with out too much pain... she said she could not even lift her foot off the ground. So I'm thinking its just a pulled muscle. But it hurts now to just sit or walk. :( I'm just so completely sad and angry with myself. 

7.47 miles: 1:08:14

Did a very slow 6 miles on the treadmill. Earlier this week I was thinking I would run in the morning tomorrow, because the striders 7 race that I'm doing starts a 3PM. But after the way I was feeling yesterday after trying to do some fast miles, I decided that I will just run the race. Not much to talk about... there wasn't even any fun/weird people at the gym tonight :( 

Earlier this week I had planned on running in the morning before the race, it started at 3:00PM. But after having trouble Thursday I figured I better take it a bit easier.

So I met up with my running friend at the buses, she was already worried about the heat.

The first 1/8 mile of the race is going up a hill and is was a very quick transition from the parking lot to a single track trail, so it was difficult trying to get around people that were going slower then I wanted. The path widened a bit and I was able to get around quite a few people... this was were I lost my running friend. The next area was the rolling trails of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. It was wonderful! I love this trail and to be doing it in a race was extra fun! There was a aid station at the trail head parking lot. Then we had to run through a neighborhood for a few blocks, then we ran the birdsong trail. This is a newer tail that I have not ran on as often but I have in the past few months, because it's at the top of the parkway, so sometimes when I run there and want to add a few more miles I have ran this trail. The trail ends up at the top of the parkway and the last part of the race is the same as the Ogden marathon. As I came out on to the road I was really struggling, the heat was starting to get to me. I finished feeling pretty good. The hip did OK and I'm pretty happy all in all with the day. 

I didn't get home til later... We had dinner down town and walked around the festivities. Then I had to come home and help get my daughter ready for the homecoming dance. A pretty busy day. Tomorrow all the kids will come over for a joint birthday party (Husbands was the 19th, oldest son's today and oldest grandaughter's is Monday) another busy lovely day :)

Laps: 11:49( trying to get around the people and hills) 8:45, 8:15, 8:39, 8:32, 9:00, 8:53 started to struggle at the end. I don't think I have run the trails that fast before :)

Ran after work today. It was a bit warm, about 83, but weather forecast says it will drop by about 20 degrees in the next 48 hours. As I was driving home the mountains have a lovely orange/red glow about them. The leaves are changing fast. Sue and I will run the green pond trail this Saturday, I can't wait, it should be beautiful!!

My hip today was bugging for about the first mile or so then it seemed to ease up a bit. But I took it very easy tonight. Even at my easy pace I had some breathing issues though. It was like I could not get a deep breath. All my breathing was in my upper chest. I only saw one of my regulars tonight and I think I will rename him as my stalker regular. He seemed a bit too happy/smiley to see my LOL. Did some light weights and core work back and the gym. The weird guy with the nose ring was there tonight.

6.10 miles - 54: 32

Can't think of anything positive to say about this run. :(

Had a crazy night. I got my run in after work... but then had to hurry home because my sisters were coming over to my house. We try to plan sister dates once a month and either do or go see some fun artsy activity. We were up till after ten LOL... fun times. :)