Believe to Achieve

Ran up 600 west.  Again glad to see my easy feeling pace was an 8 minute mile.  I continued on  then for a total of five miles.  The last mile felt very relaxed and not at all pushed or difficult breathing and was a 7:22.  I hope to be feeling this good a SGM especially the last half when I plan on picking it up a bit.  Total time= 38:45.  Piriformis  (hip)muscle feeling better after looking up some stretches on the internet and using my hand massager.  I am also trying some visualization.  I hear what you can conceive you can achieve.  So everyone get visualizing your best case scenario.  Let's see how we turn out.  Good luck.  Enjoy. 

Ran easy with husband back from Elementary School walk to school day (one mile there walking and one mile back running 8:52).  COSMO was our crossing guard.  Pretty fun for the kids.  Then we ran another 4.2 miles around the Mt. Timponogos Temple  and back home.  Last mile easy but at 7:57 pace.  Enjoyable run with husband.  I feel like soccer should still be going on.  PG starts too early then of course ends too early.  It is fall.  Time to still play soccer.  Got to get my girls involved in the other leagues to still be playing I guess.  Count down.  Not too long now for the big day at SGM. 

Something is going wrong with my computer.  I can no longer type in my mileage.  Very freaky.  It just gives me a list to choose from.  So here goes without the ability to add the miles this is what  I did.  I first ran about 2.4miles warm-up to my 800 route.  I ran 6 x 800.  I felt great the first four the last two (wanting negative splits) were more difficult.  But I achieved my goal of going faster each time.  I ran at 1000am to simulate St. George heated conditions.  Probably will be hotter if the weather doesn't change soon down there.  Anyway my splits were with an 800 meter recovery run back to the start of about 4:30 minutes to 6 minutes after each one except the last when I just kept running to my house 1.2 miles away.  Again here goes: 

1. 3:12

2. 3:10

3. 3:09

4. 3:06

5. 3:05

6. 3:04

Total miles 9.2.  Glad only one more intense speed work left  next week.  Running 15 this Saturday.  Can't wait to hear how my friends do at TOU this Saturday.  Wish they made it into SGM with me.  But good for them to try a different one. 

Ran with husband for an easy loop to American Fork Hospital and around their little outdoor trail and back home.  Getting warm at 1000am.  Taking it easy today and Friday.  Running down AF canyon from Tibble Fork Reservoir Saturday.  Kim Taylor, a speedy friend, wants to run it in 7:30 pace.  With the downhill that may be fine.  Not sure if I do marathon pace or not.  I guess it is a good idea and okay two weeks before.   She wants to do 12,  I wanted to do 15 so we compromised and we are running 13.5.  If  it feels easy I should cross my fingers and hope it does for 26.2 miles at St. George.  Any advice if marathon pace is what we should be doing?  What is everyone else doing this Saturday?  Have a great run. 

No not a long run.  I biked my running route from last Saturday with a few cuts.  I was going to just do 10 but then it was such nice weather I kept going.  My back started to ache so it was getting long but luckily  on the downhill I could just stop pedaling and straighten up.  Lots of hills in Alpine.  More noticeable on a bike.  Lots of bikers out too.  I loved the ease of biking (minus back issues) with the cool breeze brushing over my face.  It was a feel good easy workout.  Should have done shorter since running hard tomorrow.  The problem with biking is non-observant cars.  As I started out after helping in my daughter's 2nd grade class, I almost did the exact fall as two weeks ago.  I was cursing myself, "not the knee again, you knuckle head Julie".  Somehow I saved myself  but only a few yards ahead I was nearly  taken out by the opening of a car door on the street side where I was riding.  I swerved, got an adrenaline rush then thought "if I ran into that door, all my training down the drain" .  Maybe I should go home and skip the biking.   But as you read above I stuck it out.  What a beautiful ride.  Hope all of you have tried the pleasures of cross-training like swimming or biking.  Try it.  It really gives certain muscles a break.  ENJOY. 

Met up with Kim at her house (1 mile jog-9:18) at 550 am.  Drove to temple to pick up Jane and Becca.  Kim and I have run a few times together before.  Just met Jane and Becca.  They are the same pace so we had a good run after driving and parking at Tibble Fork Reservoir (AF canyon).  Ran all miles under 8 and 7 miles were at 7:30 pace.  My legs were tired from yesterdays bike ride.  I knew I would pay for it.  Not much traffic in the canyon.  Did not  feel like I was going to be run over this time.  We ran to the golf course from the street that Lone Peak is on and parted ways with Becca and Jane as they wanted to only do 12 and head straight back to the temple.  We ran on the golf course running trail and up that steep hill (good thing it is brief) and over to the "farm" road.  We were then 3 miles from my house.  So our time was 1:47:46 and having lost the garmin effect with our former running buddies we were left to our own analysis.  We kept up the pace.  Kim is going to do great at St. George.  I was getting winded that the last 0.3 I slowed on a steep downhill.  I think we were at 715 pace.  My last mile by myself was cool down and since I know where the marker was I could tell just slowing down wasn't much slowing down (8:14) so the previous pace was probably as I described.  Then off I went to the two last soccer games of my daughters. Both at the same time so we (Troy and I) did the half-time switch.  He coached Amber's first half (6 goals) and I her second.  Brooke's team finally met up with a team that would make them work (2-1).  Brooke has been getting a cold and seemed "not herself"  on the field.  She managed to make a pass to her teammate right in front of the goal for the win.  Of course I missed it as I was up watching Amber monopolize all the 4 and 5 year olds.  The other coach said "wow that girl is good, she will probably make the olympics some day".  That was nice of him to say.  It would be great to see if she continues to be aggressive in the years to come.  Her dad is a soccer maniac but he hasn't taught her to play at all.  So interesting.  Must be a born into talent.  Why am I going on like this I know not.  I was all excited to view "live results" of the TOU game like their website says "click here" but not apparently working.  Bummer.  Cool idea though.  I am skipping out on the home BYU game today and the next two.  I am letting each of my daughters go to one game.  Then I will go to the last.  I am tired of sitting for four hours especially after the last two when I had just run super duper long runs.  Go Cougars!!  Hope all you had some good runs today.  Congrats on the TOU runners.  YOU"RE DONE!!!! HURRAY.  Unless of course you are running the Grand Slam.  Then we will see you in two weeks.