Believe to Achieve

8 easy pace miles (AP 7:57).  Followed soon afterward with a 40 mile unplanned mountain bike ride at 4:18 pace up Provo Canyon.    My foot is starting to feel better.  Since Melanie scraped it (felt as painful as labor pains) on Friday, Saturday I was questioning what I had done since my leg and calf were so painful the next day.  But Sunday I walked  on it for 12 hour shift, like Saturday but the pain level was way down and honestly I was the most pain free walking on my foot in the last 9 weeks : D.  So running today was good-- not pain free or tightness free but oh so close!!  So happy :D.  When I got back I pruned a few bushes and came inside.  Kim had called to have me join them on my bike while she and Jane ran 23 miles from Wallsburg.  So in five minutes I got ready and was picked up by Kim with my bike.  It was cool at the start at 1020am (about 69 degrees) and I would go up and back several times adding on 17 more miles.    The HEAD wind while going down the canyon from the reservoir was INTENSE-- 30 mph I am sure.  I had to pedal on the downhills which on my mountain bike should not be necessary on steep downhills. THAT's how ferocious the wind was.   I never really got tired.  I had a lot of  fun handing off water to the girls.  Shandee also joined us and she ended up vomiting several times from heat exhaustion and walking from the 16 mile mark to the 19 mile mark.  It was a good thing I was there as Jane and Kim were in no shape  to go back up the canyon to find her.  They were miserable (but still fast) from the heat and wind.   It was in the 90s when we finished.  I of course on my bike felt awesome.  40 miles on the mountain bike (up and back down the canyon several times) at 4:18 AP.  Oh I also climbed up two miles the south fork canyon while I waited at Vivian Park for them.  It was too dangerous to go up and back on the main highway.  Getting to the trail was a real treat from that traffic.   We iced in the Provo River and got back home late afternoon.  Then I headed up to soccer tryouts for 3 hours.  HOTTER THERE then the bike ride.  Oh my!!! done with the heat already.  LEGS FEEL AWESOME!!!    I can see an IRONMAN in my future.  

5 miles, recovery in a sense.  Legs felt "weird" after 40 miles of biking yesterday.  It took a couple miles for my muscles to switch over.   No pushing the pace.  AP 8:15.  First mile 9:00, last mile 7:32. 

I was looking back on my blog of last year in May-- I ran 17 miles the day before I PRed in the 10k memorial day weekend, followed by another pretty good memorial day 10 k two days later that was quite uphill.  Was I a lunatic or what???  So many luney runs last year.     4 marathons in just under four months-- starting with a 3:09 (long course) at UVM and a bonk at SGM 3:08.  But oh the fun in between!!!  Good (and slightly bad) times :D. 

Achy today.   I kind of over did it--- planks and pushups yesterday afternoon and  I awoke to a sore chest, upper arms  and feet (I do them barefoot).   I also have a bright red sunburn on my mid outer back out both sides.  Quite tender.  Made a hot shower not comfortable so it had to be lukewarm.   I missed those spots when applying sunscreen before my 40 mile jaunt with Kim and Jane.    I am so glad I did apply sunscreen.  I would be in a whole heck of a lot more pain today!!    I ran 2.5 miles to AF library then tried to figure out their 5k for the Run Of Remembrance Monday that my entire family is running.  It is a free 5k and 10k (register online) and donations are certainly welcome to help the War Heroes.  Of course I donated because my entire family is running it and it a good cause and a free race just doesn't seem right with a number on.  I ran the 10k last year (after running a 10k two days earlier, my PR).  It had snowed just a few hours before the race but was melted by the time we started.  It was raining on and off too.   I am not racing it.  Just hanging with my kids.  I have done NO SW for 10 weeks!!!!!!!!  I am so out of shape!!!    Oh about today's run.  I ran a slightly of course 5k easy pace. Then another 2.5 miles home.  8:29 (2.5mi.), 8:15 (3.1), 8:11 (2.5 mi.).  It was at least 30 degrees cooler today with a good headwind on the 5k course.  I didn't feel the love today.  Plan is to run 4 miles both Thurs and Fri before work (5am).   Not sure how I will feel for Saturday.

PM:  4 miles easy (8:29AP)  just felt like getting out there after I scraped my foot with my ice scraper for my car and caused a blisters because I didn't use lotion.  I wasn't home yet and we (my husband and I) were out and about in our car.  Totally reqret I didn't wait to get home to get some lotion.  The scraper was in my glove compartment. ... "and the Seriously Stupid Award goes to Julie Crossley".   It was cool and windy out there.  And running 1 hour after eating two quesadillas and rice (homemade by my dear husband) made the run not as enjoyable as I thought it would be.  I felt so great as I put on my shorts.  Probably because my stomach was well nourished.  Wasn't a time to get the notion to run.  I was burping a lot.   My stomach was ready to lose its contents.  I ran now because I wanted to run in daylight and NOT have to go so early in the morning--- taking one day off and will run before work Friday am. 

NOTHING.  LONG work day--- 13 hrs 15 minutes not incl. drive time to UV hospital.  Non stop.  No time for lunch-- unless you include 2 minutes downers.   It was ridiculous. 

Poor sleep.  Thinking about my stressful day at work yesterday knowing I was awaking to another long day at work but at least it was at AFH.  Busy busy.  NO lunch again.  Ran 1.5 mile warmup  (8:45AP)and ran 10 x 1 min on/off for one minute with a few minutes cooldown.  Set my garmin to do this workout.  I love this mode.  It beeps five times to warn you you are about to start and again when the minute is almost up.  Cool.  I didn't look at my splits the whole time, in fact I don't think you can until the end.  This is MY FIRST SPEEDWORK since my injury on March12th!!!   I am so out of shape.  I wanted to be done after 5 of them.    I was surprised I got faster then slowed again for the end (I purposely did because I was tired already).   Tired from stress and no sleep.  I wonder if I ever will PR in the marathon again??  Paces for ons:  6:23 (oh my!!), 6:21 (how sad), 6:03 (getting better :D),  5:53 (same flattish course so this is a good sign. I am waking myself up out of the grave), 5:59, 5:59, 6:00, 5:57, 6:09, 6:09.    0.73 @ 8:12 pace.   AP for 5.03 miles = 7:47.  Looking forward to running with Rachelle tomorrow.  Foot is getting better and better.  Still felt the tightness/scar tissue but stretching and massage helping.   

16 GLORIOUS miles with the best running partner EVER!! Thanks Rachelle!!   We met at the Riverwoods Theatres and ran 8 up (8 ended exactly one mile up South Fork).  AP up 8:11.  AP down 7:21.  Total AP 7:46.     Both of us were complaining of left foot pain.   The 15th  mile I was having a hard time breathing-- (Rachelle I just noticed that's when the caffeine hit me, we weren't going much faster than before, my heartrate was soaring in my shower over 160!!).     Just reminds me not to take them in races.  But it did give me sugar energy :D.     We had perfect running weather.  A light breeze!!! Wow, a shocker in Provo Canyon.