Believe to Achieve

15 mile bike ride at 415pm--- Temperature oven like heat, at least 100 degrees.  My  refrigerated  water turned putrid warm within 20 minutes  Head side wind on the up hill taking the trail to the mouth of the canyon.  Average pace 4:30.  Could feel the energy zapping from me every mile but kept it going strong.  Holy moly the heat was searing.  I also worked the last three nights  ( I picked up a shift in order to compromise for Thursday I want off) and have slept a total of 9 hours since Thursday night.  Summer time and working nights is the cause.  My brain just will NOT shut down.  It keeps my nervous system on edge.  I work tonight also.  Then off one and work one and hopefully get off Thursday night or Bryce 1/2 will be even more pathetic for me than already planned.  Pathetic meaning NO PR attempt whatsoever.  Just cruise control, a 1:33 will be suffice.  I will have to test out my legs, I mean my back/hips/hamstrings Wednesday by running.  I am also going to swim a mile Wednesday.  I will be a complete zombie tomorrow.  Love the babies I am caring for.  Too cute for words.  Caring for them is so rewarding.  

Ran to my dentist appointment--heat simulation, test out the pelvis run.  Darn thing still ailing, double sciatica mostly left including pelvis bone pain.  Stress fracture?  I did all the things that could bring one on (increased mileage, change of shoes) plus the added lack of the hormone estrogen..  Can't wait to see if new shoes will do the trick.  My asics are too big and make my knees turn inward.  Blah.  No cavities.  None for years :D.  Ran the square, so back the long way adding on to what I thought was barely three miles but really it was 3.8 on the course tool.  I am going garmin-less for a while.  Wow my wrist felt amazingly light.  I miss the good old days.  Even contemplating selling my garmin.  I ran better going out by feel and using the course tool rather than racing the satellite.  Ran a relaxed pace of 8:49.   Pretty hot outside.  This run was at 2pm.  Slept again only three hours.  Something is seriously wrong with my diurnal rhythm it just won't budge.  

Biked for 2.5 miles to track. All impromptu. Wanting to see if I can even run fast again. Ran one 1/2 mile repeat. Pelvis/hips feel locked up but not too painful since trying to change my stride.  Breathing ridiculous.   Tried to relax.  Not good for breathing when you eat barbecue potato chips just beforehand.  Oops.  Trying to eat healthy. They were the "natural" kind at least.  Oh and did I mention it is hot out?  610pm leave time.  Pace for repeat 6:06 (time 3:03).  Ran a four hundred at same pace just for a break and I was done with that.  Biked a bit more for total bike length of 6.25 miles. 

too tired to go early and too hot to go late and too tight to care.  : D.  Thanks to Melanie I am bruised up from some scraping and she taught me some foam rolling etc....wowsers everything was on fiah!!!  Pretty close to labor pains with that.  Geez.  

easy run focusing on short stride and not dislocating hip and aggravating the pain syndrome happpening in my hips/hamstrings/lower back.  Met Kim at end of her 13+ miler to see how she was feeling and to push her to her finish.  Chatted a bit this morning.  Fun times remembering I am a runner : D.  AP  8:44  for 4.35 miles.  Off to Bryce Canyon this morning.  Going to take it easy and if stars align (meaning my hip pain suddenly goes in to submission) I will try a few speedy miles.  Hoping to just get in under 1:33 but even that my be too much.  Time will tell.  I am not one to give up too easily.  

Hot.  Camped in Cannoville, the finish line, in 99 degree weather with NO shade.  The ground radiated heat.  Melanie and I shared a potlock spaghetti dinner with our families.  Didn't sleep but a 20 minute block.  Air stale and HOT!!  Hands and feet began to swell.  Left at 430am to catch the first shuttle to the start.   Climbed to 7900 feet to enjoy a 15 degree difference in temp for an hour.  Hung out at Ruby's Inn chatting with Julie Esplin on the nice leather couches there.  Ran a 1.9 mile warmup just hoping not to aggravate my back/hamstrings on this run.  Felt fine.  Not feeling the least bit in race mode but knew I could just hold on for my goal.  Ran the first 5-6 miles like last year (minus the wicked fast mile I ran last year for mile 3 in 5:48, this year 6:08).  Then I just mentally told myself I could stop whenever I wanted.  And I did.  I walked thru the last 4 aid stations pouring water all over myself and soaking my sneakers pretty well.  Ooops.    I was under my last years  pace until mile 6 then I just didn't care to hang on.  I had no drive and I had a feelin' I was still the first master woman as Kerri wasn't there to push me.  I passed her the last .1 of the race last year.  And third place was minutes behind us.  And even then I decided top master was no big deal.  But come to find out I still was first even with my much slower time of 1:32:07.  AP 7:01.   I had my garmin on pace and distance so unfortunately I didn't see the finish clock until it read 1:31:58.  I would have pushed it in to be under 1:32 because I had a lot of speed left I just didn't have a lot of care left.  No reason to push it if I was trying to heal and no one to pass my age.  Annie Green passed me at .1 miles and I stayed up with by 4 seconds.  This isn't that exciting of a race report because I had typed it and then lost it so now you have the condensed version.  Camped the last two nights in Byrce Canyon in a shady spot higher up.  We hiked several great hikes and my calves and hamstrings were not too happy with me.  Got home Monday at 5pm, quickly unpacked and headed for work by 6pm.  No shower since I rinsed off Saturday morning because I forgot my shampoo (it is fragrance free) and so I roughed it.  We were down right dirty by the end of our trip.  I swelled pretty badly and had pitting edema at work so much so that my legs hurt to bend.  I gained over 5 pounds of fluid.  Ate a lot of salted peanuts with m &ms so that didn't help the swelling among other things.  Slept like a rockin the tent Saturday night and slept on a rock Sunday night-- meaning I could tell we were on the ground by then with no cushion.  Did I mention it was hot?  Fastest mile: 6:08, slowest 7:43.  Forgot visor.  That would have helped with the sun glare.  Left foot was ailing causing my left hip to stiffen.  My form was not good with my cloppy shoes.  Picked up my new mizunos Friday and currently (Tuesday) wearing them around my house.  Yay!!