16 miler and "doing the salt"

Despite a rocky start to our 16 miler on Saturday... it turned out to be a really good run. You know, one of those runs that boosts your confidence a little and makes you believe you can actually do this stuff.

It all started with me pulling out my camelbak that goes around my waist. I'm sick of doing loops and so we were heading pretty far away from home. So that meant either stashing gatorade or packing it along. Anyway... I pulled out the camelbak and was getting ready to dump my gatorade in it and noticed some mold growing in the tube. Yuck. Get the bleach out. Clean it. Fill it up. Put it on. Run around the house like a mad woman making the last minute bathroom stop and getting my gloves and hat all the while checking out the window for Heather. This is about the point where my littlest one asks me why I'm dripping on the floor. My seal is not working. I take it off trying to figure out what's wrong and backtrack myself mopping as I go throughout the house. Frustration is setting in as now I don't know what I'm doing for hydration. I get a phone call about this time from Heather saying that she's running behind because she found mold in her camelbak. I guess it's been quite a while since we've used them. I grabbed my husband's camelbak that goes on your back and tried to transfer the gatorade unsuccessfully. Guess that meant we were stopping at 7-11 on our way out of town.

Once we finally got going we had to stop to fill up my backpack and take a final potty break at 7-11. We kept the pace nice and even and the miles just started passing by.

I am really grateful for a running partner. It means I'm not nervous being out in the middle of no where. It means conversation that ranges in topic from standing on the bathtub to get a better view of our legs, how often we shave our legs, the funny things our kids said or did during the week, movies we've seen or want to see, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Moses (we're reading the same really interesting books on the topic) and anything else that might come up in 16 miles. The only time conversation is lacking is when there are hills and I can't talk.

Speaking of hills and what they do to me... I have been struggling with some calf issues for about 8 months. There are periods where they are really bad and I have to get them worked on and then there are others where they just feel tight all the time. Then there are those occasions where I cramp during a marathon or long run. None of it is really pleasant, but I think I may have found something that works for me. While during some research (googling) I came across this article. It talks about an appropriate salt intake for runners who cramp. While I don't like to admit it, I am a sweaty, sweat sweatso. I am always dripping with sweat and quite often have a dry salty deposit left on my face and arms. I am just a salty sweater. So for the last couple of months I have been "doing the salt" before and midway during my runs. Saturday I forgot to take it until about mile 10 and began feeling the cramps coming back on. As soon as I took the salt, almost instantly, the cramping went away and I was good to finish. You know how they say that you crave what your body needs? Well I have always craved salty things more than sweets. Maybe I just need more salt. And just so that you're not worried about me, I have very low blood pressure and am trying to eat better all around so I don't believe this endangers my health. And I don't think it's for everyone. But it makes sense to me and seems to be helping.

On another side note, I drank a chocolate Ensure part way through the run and it didn't bother my stomach at all. I took about 4 swigs about 8 miles in and then 2 or 3 swigs every couple of miles until it was gone. And I must admit that chocolate milk tastes so much better than those gels.

Have you ever tried anything different on your longs runs? Do share!

What's up?

I fell off the wagon. After 6 weeks of eating pretty darn good, I crashed. Valentine's weekend was not good for me. My husband made peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's kiss on top and I bet I ate 6 of them. Not in one sitting but just one at a time spread throughout the day. They were so good. Needless to say, I went to bed with my stomach hurting Saturday night. I didn't even eat half of my dessert at our Valentine's dinner and still felt miserable. You'd think I would learn, but no. I went to bed Sunday with my stomach cursing me again. And the worst part was I felt defeated and that hurt almost as much as my stomach. I'm back on the good eating train again and yesterday was a success. I guess it was a learning experience. I've never felt so miserable. Why, oh why did I do that?

On to the good news: We ran a hilly 10 miler on Saturday and it felt good. We even pushed the last 1/2 mile and that's where I'm usually running low on push. We have a 16 miler planned for this Saturday. I hope it goes as well. My speed workouts each week are really pushing me. And I am seeing some progress in that stinkin kickboxing video. I'm able to do a little more and last a little bit longer. I still can't do the whole video without stopping. But someday I might be able to. I mixed my workouts around last week and think I've found a good combination that allows my body to heal and not be so sore for those critical runs. Here's the line up:

Monday: kickmax video 75 minutes includes punching and kicking combos, plyometrics, and leg conditioning

Tuesday: easy run 3-5 miles

Wednesday: Jillian video 50 minutes easy run 2-3 miles

Thursday: speed workout either Yasso 800's or mile repeats starting at 3 for Yasso's and working up to 10 and miles start at 2 and work up to 4 repeats.

Friday: spinning class 60 minutes

Saturday: long run 10-20 miles

Sunday: REST!

I'm going to try combining Wed and Thurs this week because of a scheduling conflict. I hope that works out.

Oh, and we've got a team put together for the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay this year! My favorite race of all time. Our team name: Lips, Hips, and Asphalt. We're working on getting our leg assignments and then I'll develop a training plan for that! Yeah for Ragnar! I can't wait!

Miscellaneous

*My treadmill is back up and running. I haven't actually tried it yet, but plan to tomorrow. Running on a different treadmill for the past 3 weeks has made me realize how old and non smooth my 10 year old treadmill is in comparison. Still, running at home means I can run in yesterday's make up, un brushed teeth, and grubby shorts. And I don't have to find a babysitter.

*I got some weighted gloves to use in my kickmax video and it really helps wear my arms out. That's a good thing, I think.

*I ran 14 miles on Saturday. That's the longest since October's marathon. It felt good. Now if I can just psych myself up to using gels again. What are your thoughts on a nutritional drink midway through a long run? Like Ensure or Slim Fast? Anyone ever tried that?

*I finished my 30 day challenge of no sugar losing 2 pounds. Was it worth it? Well, since I've been such a junk food junkie for the last 3 months, it did cure my cravings. It took 3 weeks to do it though. I no longer feel like I NEED something good to eat right after lunch. I am allowing myself one treat a week. I am now doing a 30 chip challenge with has always been a bigger problem for me than sweets. I just love chips. I have (or used to have) a chip cabinet that is off limits to everyone else. Permission has to be granted to eat some of MY chips. Saying it out loud makes it seem worse than in my head. I am on day 6 and it's been hard. Very hard. Cucumbers are not a good substitute.

Speaking of eating... I have always had the mental attitude that because I run I should be able to eat anything I want. Many times (o.k. every single day for as long as I can remember) after the kids are in bed, I eat something good and watch a little T.V. It's my reward for surviving another day. However, as my age is creeping up there, I'm seeing that I can't continue to do this for the rest of my life. It's time for some mental changes. The one I'm currently trying to follow is that I've created a need in my body by exercising. I need to fill that need with good foods that will help my body recover and become stronger. I tell myself this over and over when I want those foods that I know don't serve any other purpose than tasting good. The only problem is that good tasting foods equals happiness to me. I will not suffer for the rest of my life by depriving myself of good tasting things. I just need to learn a little moderation and kick these cravings once and for all so I don't feel like I need to eat 5 cookies instead of just one. Or eat just a handful of chips instead of 6 or 7. I'm doing a bit better every day and that's all I can do. I know that just like running, success happens little steps at a time.

My tready's dead.

My treadmill finally bit the dust. I actually am surprised it has made it this long. 10 long years. It's been a good treadmill. And because I have a very handy husband, the replacement part is on its way. However, in the meantime, I'm having to get creative when I actually need a treadmill.

It wouldn't be so tough if 1. I didn't have a youngster with me all day long and...

2. there wasn't a mountain lion prowling our neighborhood late at night and early in the morning. Yep, I live at the base of a mountain. 3 houses and I'm there. I have known for years that there have been mountain lions up there, but this year he's been spotted down and around the neighborhood a lot. He's been spotted at 9:00 at night 2 doors away from us and at 6:30 in the morning a couple of houses over. He's also left tracks in the snow all around us. Besides me peeling myself off my pillow early in the morning, this is just another reason why running early early seems a little crazy to me. Of course, I'm already paranoid about running alone in the dark so that doesn't help. Problem # 1 then comes into play because we do not have a gym that has daycare and I feel extremely guilty asking someone to watch him while I go for a run. So, I've had to do my speed work at the gym at 4:30 in the afternoon in between dance car pools for my girls. I hate showering and getting ready more than once a day. As much as I detest that treadmill, I will be so glad when it's fixed and I can get back to my normal routine.

On another note: I started a new weight video this last week hoping that it would help me get more out of my weight work outs. If I watched the Biggest Loser more than once I would have known better than to choose a Jillian DVD. It is pure torture. Every single second. My 12 miler on Saturday didn't go very well because I was so sore from trying to do it 3 times last week. I have decided that I either need to quit doing weights on Friday so that I'm not sore for those long runs or suck it up and just keep doing it and get used to it so that I'm not sore. I'm still undecided. And right now might be a bad time to do it because I just finished doing it once again. Torture.

I might be a dog killer and I know what it feels like to be a mob snitch

I hesitate to say "dog murderer" because I'm not sure if the dog died or not, but if he did it was probably my fault. I was almost to the last mile of my very snowy 10 miler today when this big pile of fur came running up from behind me barking and just about nipping at my heels. I'm usually a little more aware of what's going on around me and I can hear those attack dogs coming for a mile away. I've gotten pretty good at yelling in a very mean voice, "NO! GO HOME!" This approach has worked very well and even the most menacing dog will end up running home. I almost feel a little bad because it must mean that I sound really mean. And I really am a nice person. My kids may say that I got my mean practice from whipping them into shape, but they exaggerate. Anyway..... this big pile of fur came tearing after me at full speed ready to eat my shoes. I may have been a tiny bit distracted with some new music turned up a little too loud. In any case I swear I could feel his hot little breath melting some of the snow on the back of my legs when I turned around to see a big mean mouth filled with teeth, barking at me. I yelled my instinctive response to GO HOME! He turned around with lightening speed to run home...across Main Street...and under the back tire of a car. As it yelped and limped the rest of the way home and its owner was calling to it and probably cursing me, I felt horrible. I know there are leash laws and it wasn't really my fault, but I did scare it right into traffic although that was not the intended place. I can only hope he spreads the news about this mean runner out and about and all the other dogs will stay away from me.

On another note: I think I burned a fair amount of extra calories today because of the cement shoes that I was sporting. My Yak Trax's worked great today on the icy snowy roads. However, as the snow began to pile up on the roads, they also piled up on my shoes. I kept having to shuffle and scrape them off so that I didn't have 3 inches of packed snow on the bottom of my feet. Cement shoes are not a fashion accessory I planned on while running.

Crazy little thing called running

It was a warm (30's!) early morning as the sun began to make its appearance against the horizon. The pinks and purple hues indicated that it was gonna be one of those amazing days. All was quiet. Not even the birds were singing but it made it all the more peaceful and serene. All I could hear were the rhythmic sounds of my feet hitting the ground and my breathing. Exhaling on the left, inhaling on the right. No music ringing in my ears this morning. Just the sounds of my own body making music with the beat of the earth as it awakens for the excitement of a new day. Is there really a better way to start the day off?

Even though was snowing (and snowing hard) and I was just about soaked from head to toe, I could almost imagine being on a beach somewhere. Except for the slight temperature change, it is similar in a lot of ways. Running in a couple of inches of freshly fallen wet snow is like running on sand; there's resistance. You can't get lazy or you'll end up tripping over your feet. Sure, there are places that are more packed down and easier to run on, just like at the beach- closer to the water, but where's the fun in that? It's soft and forces you to concentrate on your form. I also love the footprints. You get to make them in the sand and snow. I love to be the first one to make the footprints but I also love seeing others prints. It's fun to realize that I'm not the only one out in the weather. There are other crazies out there. It's part of that running community camaraderie. Even though we don't see each other, there are evidences that we were there.

I love the ocean. There is just something about it that calls to me. I haven't been there for a couple of years and it's beckoning to me. When we last left the ocean, I watched it in the rearview mirror until I couldn't see it anymore. Sappy as it was, there were tears. But this morning as I was finishing my run, I thought about the beach and visualized that water crashing on the shores. I could almost smell that salty, fishy air and hear those waves. And yet, with that wet lovely snow falling on my face in the morning dawn, I was grateful to be where I was at that moment. And I would have missed it all if it wasn't for that crazy little thing called running.

I'm loving this cold weather running stuff

If I drank alcohol, I'd be raising a very big glass to celebrate the last year! But I guess my glass of diet coke will have to do! It's been an amazing year and I can't believe it's really over. Here's a few of the highlights of last year:

*the Wasatch Back- definitely the funnest race I've ever done. I was also blessed to share that experience in close quarters with 5 other women that I admire and love!

*the Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon- a new PR of 2:00! A great memory shared with Heather and a couple of pairs of wild knee high socks!

*training for the marathon down and up canyons, on country roads, trading stories all along the way with Heather.

*the St. George Marathon- an unpredictable disappointment that will be one of those stepping stones to a great marathon in the future.

*the Turkey trot with my sweet little Abby.

*the Santa Run with Heather and Jodi.

* 962 miles this year! Not bad for running 3 times a week and the first couple of months were pretty pathetic!

*Da ta da da.......I am still running! I have NEVER made it through a year without having to take serious time (months and months) off for an injury or being pregnant or having a new baby. Running in the winter is a whole new experience for me, one I am loving! No starting from scratch again!

*AND if that wasn't enough... I had a birthday and advanced in my age category! Yeah! Now I'm the youngest one in my age group instead of the oldest. I need any little reason to be excited about being older! I'm just one step closer to being able to qualify for Boston! Only 30 more years to go!

As for running in the winter... it has seemed more like January than December. We had record breaking cold temperatures that made it less than comfortable to go outside. However, the treadmill is only good for a certain number of miles (anything less than 6 seems to be my limit) and so out into the cold I went. I've quickly discovered that my outfits need to be layered according to how cold it is. But I'd much rather run in the cold than the heat! I even have 2 different pairs of mittens depending on the temperature. I ran 9 miles in 9 degree weather a couple of weeks ago and by around mile 6 I started to get really cold. I was planning on a longer run but when I discovered that I couldn't talk properly because my face was numb and my fingers were beyond cold, I cut it short and headed home. I got the second pair of mittens that same day. I've been really spoiled with some new running clothing; under armor, a couple of vests, a jacket, and new shoes. I also got some YakTraxs for running on the snow and ice. I've only used them twice, but both times I was so glad I had them on. Now my only question is what to do about my cold nose? Maybe if I knitted I'd come up with something. Maybe a Rudolf looking nose thingy. All I know is that my nose is the only part of me that complains the whole time. So all you cold weather runners out there, what's the solution?

I've been able to keep up my long runs on the weekends. They vary between 9 miles and 13 miles. Though I don't think I've made any gains over the last couple of months, but I don't feel like I've lost anything either. I've been going to a spinning class every Friday and either lifting or doing my video twice a week as well. It's been good for me to have a little cross training mixed in there. Hopefully it will help me stay healthy this year as well.

Oh, and lastly... the snow and cold weather do make for some great sunrises. And I love seeing everything covered in fresh snow. It's simply beautiful. And for your enjoyment... we had some crazy, wet, cold fog a couple of weeks ago that turned our hair and eyelashes into crystalized works of art. Pretty cool, huh!

These are a few of my favorite things...

The last couple of months are my favorite months in which to run. And fall never seems to last long enough. And I'm usually injured from overtraining during the summer or just a little burned out on running to really enjoy it. This year has been different. I have managed to stay uninjured, at least not to the point where I end up having to take a couple of months off and start all over again. And even though it's been pretty cold, I've enjoyed running in it. I'm usually a pretty big wimp and just run on the treadmill when it gets cold. But this year I have loved getting out and breathing in that crisp air. Now don't get me wrong... when the wind is blowing, I'm inside. I'm still a little wimpy.

One of my favorite things about running in the fall is all the leaves on the ground. I don't know about you, but I love crunching through piles of leaves and kicking them up. This doesn't make for good strides, but it makes for a lot of fun. This is a terrible picture, it was done with my phone, but it shows the long street that I'd run down just covered in leaves, waiting for me to crunch.

Saturday I set out for a ten miler. It was snowing lightly during my whole run and was so much fun. I ended up making it 13 although my poor body kind of paid for it the rest of the day. I guess some sort of fuel besides a couple of drinks of water would have helped. Whenever I get the chance to run in the snow, it seems like the world kind of slows down. My footsteps even seem softer, lighter and the world seems quiet. Plus when snowflakes get stuck on my eyelashes and cheeks, I can't help but smile.

My hair was frozen into icicles by the time I got home. I really think my hair would have broken right off if I had tried to bend it. That hot shower melted them and never felt so good!

A Turkey Trot and a Santa Run

I haven't been very good about posting lately. I am still running. I am still doing my killer video twice a week although I am starting to dread it. But I am still getting sore from it. And I tried my first spinning class a couple of weeks ago and will do that during the winter. I've knocked out a couple of 10 milers as well and hope to be able to keep that up. My body is feeling good, no knee pain and I'm feeling pretty grateful for that. You never know what life is going to hand you tomorrow.

My daughter wanted to run our hometown Thanksgiving race because a couple of her friends were doing it. So I got roped into it as well. It ended up being so much fun. She really doesn't run other than playing football or soccer at break but she is quite the little ballerina. The kids race was 2 miles and the adults ran 4.

She and her friends all started out sprinting from the starting line while Heather, Jodi and I ran just behind them. After the first mile it is a pretty good incline to the finish. That did them in. We walked for a bit so they could catch their breath and then once we got to the straight away, they finished sprinting. I was really proud of her because it was hard for her and she never gave up.

Her time was 19 minutes!

We made another loop which was pretty tough. Heather and I caught up to Jodi and we were able to finish together. Abby came to run us in and was "encouraging" us by telling me to beat Jodi and vise versa. What a stinker!

All our neighbors that ran and our winnings! Abby took 2nd in her age group and I ended up taking third! My time was 36 minutes. It helps when not very many people show up for the race. That will never happen again. It was a good day!

My next adventure was a race called the Santa Run in Ogden. To run the 5K you must dress up like Santa. They supply the long sleeved shirt, hat and beard and I made us some sweet pants. We found some striped socks and the outfit was complete! This is my kind of race! My goal was to not sweat. We were staying afterwards for a parade and lighting ceremony and I didn't want to be cold. No such luck. We did take it easy just having a good time and taking pictures all along the way. But I did sweat. And to think that earlier that day I was worried about being cold during the race!

Heather, me and Jodi

The volunteers were all dressed like elves and they served milk and cookies (and water). I tried one bite for a photo and regretted it the rest of the loop.

Really not a bad time for how many times we stopped! For more pictures visit my other blog and Jodi's blog! Good times! I can't wait for next year! Any ideas on how to improve the outfit?

Post Marathon Workouts/Dealing with IT band issues.

I would have to admit that I finally feel totally recovered from the marathon. Yes, it has taken 3 weeks, but I blame it on my new workout video and from being sick, having sick kids and as a result- no sleep. I was terribly sore for about 3 days but by the end of the first week was feeling pretty good. I spent quite a bit of time stretching and rolling my IT bands. That was my main concern. I was frightened that I was injured again and would be starting all over. So I decided to go out for a walk and just see how everything was feeling. I really hate fast walking, I think it hurts worse than running so after about a mile and a half, I just started running. I kept it pretty slow but after my quads started to feel it, I knew I wasn't ready to jump back in just quite yet. Still it ended up being 6 miles and it felt good to get off my lazy butt and do something. And the fact that my knee didn't hurt terribly was a big plus.

The mental part of recovering is still coming. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that I'm just not made for marathons. I know it's a little self pity going on, but when I think of all that time training and then think about the resulting day it just gets to me. I think I was better right after. Maybe the horror of feeling that badly and just being able to finish has diminished and all that's left is that stupid time. I know, I know. But it still is bugging me. And the thought of another one is just not there anymore. Maybe it will change. My husband is sure it will, but if not, it will be o.k. too. I don't have to be a marathon runner to still be a runner.

The last few weeks have been focussed on strengthening my lower half and stretching. I can still feel my knee a bit so I've been icing and rolling my whole lower half. I can really tell a difference. I am refusing to wear my IT band straps anymore. I don't know if they were cutting off my circulation to my calves and that's why I had problems, but I know I was using them as a crutch. I want to get them totally healed and not have to use them anymore. On a vain note: they make my knees look fat.

My friend Raigon sent me a DVD a couple of months ago. I promised her I'd try it out after the marathon. It's a killer. It's no beginner workout and I don't know if it was too soon after the marathon or if I'm just totally out of shape, but the just the warm up about did me in. It's a kickboxing DVD called KickMax. There are 3 main components to the workout. There is a combination section where punching and kicking are put together, a blast section that has plyometrics, and then a leg conditioning section. It's all concluded with a yoga style stretch. It's a really good workout. I've just now been able to get through the whole video though I'm modifying during the 2nd and 3rd sections. I really like it because it's challenging and I don't see myself mastering it for a while. Plus I really like kickboxing and I think I'll try to memorize some of the combinations to do out on my punching bag. There's just something about physically hitting that bag that I like. My body hasn't been this sore in a while and it feels good. The first week I felt like I couldn't even walk or sit down but each day has gotten a little better and I can finally sleep on my shoulders again without waking up with sore arms. I've been able to keep running, although it's been a lot less mileage. I've run 6 miles the last two Saturdays and 3 miles two other days for the last two weeks. It's been just right. Maybe this will be the Saturday for a long run again.

Check out a portion of the video!

What makes abs just as sore as legs after a marathon? Apparently, throwing up does.

What to write... what to write. I sure wish I could write that I had a great marathon, that I beat my time, that I didn't hurt more than would be expected. But no. I can not write that and be truthful at the same time. But, what might seem like a real disappointment, considering all the training I went through, really isn't. And although things didn't go as planned, I am simply grateful to have finished.

You know how when you have a big decision to make and you make those lists of the pros and cons? Well, it seems like that would be a good way to look at the marathon from an objective point of view. If I think about the pain, the objectivity would be taken away and I wouldn't even make it to the pros list. So here goes:

The Cons:

*My IT band decided to flare up at mile four in total injury pain mode after months of absolutely no pain.

*About mile 10 I got nauseous.

*I threw up a couple of times.

*My calves cramped from mile 15 until the end.

*Did not even come close to beating my time.

The Pros:

*I had an amazing couple of months training.

*I had regularly scheduled therapy sessions during those training miles.

*I had the best running partner who stayed with me and truly didn't care about time.

*I got a trip out of this whole thing and was able to escaped the freezing cold weather and go swimming and wear shorts.

*I got to see two of my best friends from high school.

*Mile 22 is when I started feeling better and felt like I could finish strong.

*I finished and it wasn't in an ambulance.

St. George was a great marathon with awesome volunteers and support staff. The country was beautiful and the weather was great. Thanks to all of you who wished me well through e-mails, texts, phone calls and just stopping by. I have a great support staff myself, who are so patient with me and my insanity. Now, when's the next one? Sorry, hon.

Heather, me, Angi, Missy

Man, runners are messy. There were a lot of crazies there!

Finishing!

If the side of the road could talk...

Don't you just love to see what on the side of the road while you're running? There's always something interesting that gets you thinking and as we all know... there's plenty of time for thinking on those runs. Of course there's the masses of road kill that I end up leaping over. And there's plenty of garbage. But I love the various shoes and socks that I have seen, never a pair of course. But doesn't it make you wonder how in the world they ended up there? I envision a kids throwing it out the window and the mom too mad to go back and get it. Or it being left outside on a summer night and a dog takes off with it and leaves it miles away. I've seen caulking guns, and garbage of every kind, but my favorite from the last couple of weeks has to be a bike seat. I see a bike seat off to the side of the road and think it's weird but it gets better. A few hundred feet later I see the bike from which it came off of. Which left me thinking about how that seat fell off and the rider somehow rode that bike at least a little while longer in some very uncomfortable position until finally ditched the whole effort. I wish I knew the real story behind some of the weird things that I see on the side of the road. What strange objects have you seen?

I ran my last 20 miler Saturday with Mel and Heather. It was a slow run, possibly the slowest to date mostly because of me. We stopped a lot to stretch and I tried babying my calves as much as possible. But they pretty much hurt the whole time. And then the last four miles I got some pretty fun cramping happening there. But we made it and now I need to figure out how to fix it before the big day. I went in and got a sports massage and then my chiropractor taped my calves with kinesio tape. He had just returned from a seminar and was happy to practice on me. I hope it helps.

Monday August 31st- 10 miles biking with the trailer

Tuesday Sept. 1st- 8 mile easy run

Wednesday Sept. 2nd- 10 miles biking with the trailer

Thursday Sept. 3rd- 8 mile easy run

Saturday Sept. 5th- 7 mile easy run, 8 mile bike ride

Monday Sept. 7th- 12 miles bike ride

Tuesday Sept. 8th- 5 mile run, calves hurt entire run

Wed. iced the calf on and off all day but it hurt. 5 mile bike ride

Thursday- saw the chiro and had him work both calves really hard

Friday Sept. 10th- 4 mile run, calf did better but I word leg warmers under my pants. I don't know if keeping them warm helps or not but it couldn't hurt.

Saturday Sept. 11th- 20 mile run

At what point did you call yourself a runner?

This question was brought up in our car during the Wasatch Back by Tall Girl. I've been thinking about it lately with the half marathon this last week, and I wonder- can you still be called a runner if you run for fun and not time? It took me a really long time to call myself a runner. Even after completing my first marathon I didn't feel like I could call myself a runner. Not because I didn't love it- because I did. The answer was simple. I didn't feel like I was fast. I know that fast is a relative term and those people that I admire and wish I was like are not fast when compared to the elite runners. But man, I'd love to be as "fast" as them. I did speed work religiously. But I never seemed to really get as fast as I wanted in the time I wanted. It was easy to overlook just how far I had come in that pursuit of some elusive time. And getting pregnant or injured every single year and having to quit running didn't help. It felt like I was starting over after each break. So when did I actually consider myself a runner? I don't know if there was a big moment when it happened. No fireworks in the sky or ribbons pinned to my shirt. Maybe it was when I quit doing so many other things in the cardio arena and ran more than anything else. I'm not sure. But I'm happy to say that I am a runner. I'm still not fast but I'm out there doing it and loving it. I run for fun. I still care about times. I can say that I don't all I want, but deep down I do. It's not because I'm in competition with anyone else. I don't even consider myself to be competitive. It hard for me to run with someone who IS competitive. I don't ever want to hold someone back. And it's not so that I can say that I run a "so many a minute" mile, but it's tangible evidence that all my hard work is indeed working. Will I ever be satisfied with my speed? Probably not. Because no matter where we are, I believe it's inherent that we want to be better. It's what drives us.

So, back to the half. I ran it last year. I ran faster than I had ever run before. It was an amazing race with a finish time of 2:02. I was so shocked and happy. And I felt like I pushed as much as I possibly could. I also ran it injured and really trashed my IT bands. I was out for months after. But that time made it all worthwhile. I knew that I would probably never do a repeat of that time. It was one of those fluke things. So even deciding to run it again this year was hard. I mentally prepared myself to not be disappointed. I knew I was leaving the watch at home and somehow I was going to make this a fun run. Heather and I wore some fun socks and had a great time. We got lots of comments from other runners as well as spectators and it made it fun. We even heard the comment at the finish line from a guy saying that he had seen those socks pass him up in the last miles. My calf hurt almost the whole race, but never really bad. We stopped at each drink station and stretched a few times during the race but tried to keep the pace up. At the end we were really pushing it. Heather knew I was o.k. with whatever time we ended up with, but being the great friend that she is, she pushed us through and our time was 2:00. It was pretty awesome. I honestly couldn't believe the time clock as we passed it and I made her give me a dorky high five across the finish line. Really, really awesome. Now I just have to worry about being faster next year. Ugggg.

So now it's your turn. When did you consider yourself a runner? And talk to me about speed.

(thanks to Mel- our unofficial photographer for hanging out and documenting our totally awesome socks!)

So for this week:

Monday August 24th- 6 miles with hills Calf was good until the very end of the last hill. Wasn't just sore this time. It hurt like an injury. Went in and had it worked on.

Tuesday August 25th- 8 mile bike ride

Wednesday August 26th- 7 miles speed work Calf was sore after the second mile of speed work but didn't really get worse. Stretched really good. Hope it's o.k. for the weekend!

Thursday August 27th- 11 mile bike ride

Saturday August 29th- Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon!

What happens when you spoil a child and then take away her favorite plaything? Well after the wailing and kicking and screaming fit are over with, that's when you realize that you've spoiled the child in the first place. But of course it's too late by this point. I have become that spoiled child. Heather, my running partner has become that luxury that I don't want to give up and have become accustomed to having on my long runs. She's the reason I don't have to take anti depressant drugs or pay for expensive therapy on some guys couch. She makes me laugh and forget the miles. And as I found out this week, she's saving me a lot of money on buying a gun that my husband insists that I need to pack on me if I'm going alone in the pitch black of early morning or late at night. Can you imagine?

Heather had her knees worked on this week and was banned from doing the 20 miler. I don't know who had it worse, her NOT being able to run or me knowing that I'd have to do it alone. I woke up at the bright and early hour of 4 a.m. to eat, looked outside at the pitch black that it was and went back to bed. I was just too nervous (scared) to run in the outer part of the city where no one would hear my screams for help. Waiting until it was light wasn't any better because I figured by the time I'd finish it would be 1000 degrees and I didn't want to do it. I'd already told Heather that she'd be just fine not doing the 20 miler, that it was only one week and she'd be fine, so talking myself out of the run should have been just as easy. I went school shopping with the kids, canned some peaches and was miserable the whole time having that run in the back of my mind. Finally at 6:45 my husband shoved me out the door and made me run it. I was miserable and was going to be until I did it. It was 93 degrees.

The first hour was hot but o.k. I made sure to drink every mile and aside from thinking that the lining of my nostrils were going to burn up and start bleeding (you know, like in the movies right before someone dies...) from running past the very ripe sewage treatment plant, things were good. The sun was going down and it was cooling off. At about mile 10 I realized that I was in the same dark predicament that I was in earlier that morning. I was alone and it was DARK. As in no moon, pitch black dark. Janz had come to bring me my headlamp and more water and mosquito repellant but had forgotten my hat. My plan was to head to the track and run some laps so that I didn't have to get further away from home. I got there and started to run only to get myself all freaked out there. I was the only one there. It was so dark that I couldn't see the bleachers or if someone was hiding on the side. Plus we have some construction going on at our high school and I was nervous about that. Then a car pulled over to the side of the road, turned off its lights and just sat there. I ran a couple more laps and then stopped to get a drink. I decided that I was just too nervous to stay there so I got out my phone to call my husband to tell him I was leaving and as soon as I pulled open my phone the car turned on its lights and pulled away. That didn't help me at all. After I met my husband again and he insisted I get and stay on a well lit road or come home, I headed up to Main Street and ran up and down that a couple of times. By this point I was done mentally as well as physically. Only my calf was really bothering me. So I only completed 18 and 1/2 miles. I took a nice ice bath, drank a recovery drink and went to bed. Kuddos to all of you out there who are brave enough to do it alone. I'm just glad Heather's back in the game and I won't have to do anymore longs runs alone. This summer training is tricky.

Monday: 5 mile bike ride with the trailer. Have I mentioned that this should count for double. Really it should.

Tuesday: 3 mile recovery run. Calves are still very sore.

Wednesday: 8 mile speed workout

Friday: 18 1/2 mile run. Calves are really sore.

Saturday: 4 mile bike ride

Is it really August?

Saturday's run was interesting. It was an adventure. Instead of August weather we experienced more like February's weather. I woke up to the sound of rain. Normally I love running in the rain. It's my favorite weather to run in. But it was unusually cold. We were running down a canyon. And it was still dark because it was 6:00 in the morning. I debated wearing a long sleeve shirt over the top but didn't want to have to mess with another something around my waist so I left it home. Plus I always heat up pretty quick so I knew I'd be o.k. I've decided that I need to get some arm warmers. They would have been perfect on this day and probably for all of spring and fall. They're on my list.

So the interesting highlights include me HAVING to find a bush to relieve myself for the first time ever. Heather was good enough to stand as a lookout up on the top of the road and tell me if I could be spotted.

We watched a hawk hover in the wind and then dramatically dive down into the weeds and catch a mouse right in front of us. After returning to it's nest it hovered right over the top of us. It was SO cool.

And last, but not least, it poured. And poured, and poured. I kept wondering if our husbands were going to come and rescue us. If either of us had cell phones I'm afraid we could have called for help. Our arms looked like they were sunburned because they were so cold and were just getting pelted by the rain. We were both soaked. Every step felt like I was stepping in a puddle, which I wasn't. My shoes were just sloshing like I was. We made our way around the reservoir and headed back down the canyon. There was a river running along side of us and the cars going 60 mph were sending out walls of water every time they passed us. There was only one big wall of mud by a huge semi truck. I'm sure I let out a little scream as I saw it coming and turned my head and body just in time to get a back full of water and mud.

Like I said, it was quite an adventure.

Monday August 10th- 6 miles with hills

Tuesday August 11th- 11 mile bike ride. Visited the chiro that morning. He worked those IT bands pretty hard. Told me to take the next day off because I'd be sore. He wasn't kidding. I have bruises again!

Thursday August 13th- 7 mile run. Was supposed to be a tempo run but was one of the most miserable runs of my life. I made all the classic mistakes: didn't fuel up after my last workout, started too late so it was HOT, started off the tempo running my speed pace (After two miles of that I was done!). Consequently it was a struggle to finish the run. I had NO energy. It was definitely NOT a tempo run. Later that night we went on a 5 miles bike ride with the trailer. I was still feeling drained. Bad day.

Friday August 14th- 4 mile easy run, 8 mile easy bike ride

Saturday August 15th- 16 mile run down the canyon and around the lake