Believe to Achieve

okay, plan this week--- 8, 5, 5, 8, 4, 15 (13 for half pacer--1:35-- at the Timp Half Marathon with 2 mile warmup) = 45 miles.  With three miles swimming and 10-20 miles biking.  This is my last week of free swimming at the PG pool so biking is taking a back burner.  I go to the pool with Courtney in the morning on my days off.  I first go running then get right in the pool after a cold shower.  Today I ran 8 miles (8:09 AP) from the recreation center going south on Locust ave and up through Lindon to Orem, an out and back 8 miler, 4 mile turnaround.  Easy day.  Quads sore today, not a lot but enough to think I would be tired to swim afterward but luckily I barely use my legs in swimming.  I let them take a "vacation" when I swim.  Swam a mile plus 40 yards freestyle (1800 yards) in 33:55 which includes  two 35 second breaks at the end of each 12 laps.  This felt easy and like I said I wasn't really using my legs much except to push off on the flip turns.  Ankle is a piece of work-- luckily my PF is numb.  I wake every morning to a numbish ankle with shooting nerve pains in my inner left ankle and a numbish outer calf with tightness all the way to my foot.  It really is getting to be ridiculous.  Luckily I see the podiatrist a week from today.  I sure hope I haven't caused more damage waiting to see him for the past three weeks.  Off to work this afternoon.  Covering a shift for a friend for 6 hours.  I also work the next two days. At least I get time and a half for the holiday tomorrow-- 12 hours worth.  Good luck to all those racing tomorrow. 

mizuno precision japanese flowers-- 5 miles before work.  tired.  AP 8:00.  long day.  no holiday for me. 

bed at 11pm up at 320am.  Couldn't get back to sleep.  Ran at 4:25am  without a watch.   Pace unknown.  Course tooled at 5.5 miles.  Off to work right now.  done with humidity.  AP about 8:20.  stopped twice-- once I thought I saw a burgular in my neighbors garage-- but it might have just been my neighbor--- he was struggling with the car keys...will have to ask my neighbor.  freaked me out a bit. 

oh my goodness i cannot sleep!!  humidity/heat/hormones the three Hs that make up my He**!!    I got up to take my daughter at 6 am after pacing the floors at 4 am.  As I backed out my daughters friend was coming to pick her up---seriously??  I had fallen back to sleep again at 530am or so...and awoken to the 610am alarm so very exhausted.  Three shifts in a row-- two of them 13 hours long, one 7 hours.   Rarely sitting down and no official "lunch" break.  Just wearing on me as the years pass.   I had 8 miles planned so instead of starting at the rec like I thought I was until a new driver showed up I ran from my house.  No swim today.  Just too tired to push myself.  I ran a 4 mile out and back run-- running the last 2+ miles of the Timp Half course.  This course is EASY.  The second hill (there are only two in this race) is only about .15 to .2 miles long.  It really is a fast course.  The other hill is just after mile 8 and is about   .05 miles long.   The rollers just keep it interesting along the stream.  I am pacing the 1:35 group.  I had to use a bathroom pretty badly so I ended up adding on at the top of farm hill--  bathroom at the reservoir was thankfully open.  AP today-- 8:11.  Would have been slower but a girl I passed on my way back to my house by AF high school (I waved at her and smiled and gave two thumbs up, she had music on), well she about three minutes later "sprinted" past me  (really about 7 mm pace) and I was just NOT in the mood to be passed today.  She had a little smily smirk on her face.  She didn't even say hello.  I, of course just stayed on her heels and eventually passed her.  She had gained 15 seconds on me as I was in shock she was the same girl.  Kind of funny.  Maybe she is a blogger and knows me and is reading this right now ; D.  I just kept up the pace ahead of her.  I was not going to look back but when I turned down the road to my house I could see down the road where I came from and there she was about 20 seconds behind me.  I waved and she waved back.  How funny is that ?  Went to reservoir and soaked there for 10 minutes to cool my sweaty body off.   

Ran with neighbor after we drove the carpool to the LAST swim practice of the summer.  Big meet tonight, for my daughter : D.    Donna called me last night to see if I would run with her.  We left from PG pool and did a scenic loop up locust then east then up some more than down.  Five miles at 9:45 AP.    So nice to go so easy. I felt so very achy-- like an old lady getting out of bed.  I can't figure out my body. It seems to be rebelling.  Going to eliminate dairy products for a week and see if that makes a difference.  Not going to be easy as I eat a lot of dairy.  In particular, eating ice cream at night seems to really make me tight in the morning and very achy.  Just had been noticing this happen.  So talking it over with Donna that is what I am going to try.  Made healthy banana muffins (only 2 tsps of honey per 12 muffins) and whole wheat flour (from scratch) and cold pressed oil.  YUM with butter!!  SWAM ONE MILE in the stormy air--- trying to beat the lightning.  Pace unknown but probably under 34 minutes as usual. Pace clock kept resetting after I think 15 minutes instead of being on a 60 minute clock and I didn't have the braincells to count my time every switch over just counted my laps. 

1 mile warmu up with Rachelle on the dirt trail.  1:35 Pacer for Timp Half.  Excited to take it easy and cheer my followers on.  I will write the course variation splits I was supposed to do in parenthesis based off the elevation changes per pace band next to actual splits ran--  I was right on the first couple miles then well I didn't have my garmin in mile split mode so I tried to guess my pace-- a little off.  Every mile felt VERY EASY.   7:02 (7:02) , 7:18 (7:19), 6:52 (7:19),  7:01 (7:08), 6:42 (6:53), 6:51 (6:57), 6:59 (7:08), 7:07 (7:15),  7:39 (7:32),  7:41 (7:19), 7:32 (7:19), 7:46 (7:31), 7:26 (7:22),    0.1  @ 7:17 pace.   I walked through the last two water stations to slow time down :D.    NOTES-- this was so easy and fun!!    I told all my followers that this wasn't a negative split course by course elevation drop so I was running faster at the beginning.  There were times I had to mentally slow myself down.  My friend Scott Mumford teased me that I was running 7mm AP at mile 8.  I told him "just don't let me pass you" and of course "don't worry I am slowing down to get the pace right on".  My followers were okay with my method and the fact that when I slow down then those trying for 1:35 can feel even better about themselves when they speed up and pass me since I slowed to the 7:30s ( it would seem that they are flying!)!! :D.  I had tons of energy and cheered for everyone to book it the last miles when they passed and cheered those with me.  I had a blast.  I tried to sing but everyone had ipods on-- except one nice fellow that stuck with me the whole way.  He is from Las Vegas.  Fun hearing his running stories and another young fellow (unfortunately he fell back at mile 8) that is 19.  He was very chatty so we had some good conversations.   I was only bummed about my ankle and sciatic nerve pain.  I could have in no way raced this without permanent damage.  I see my podiatrist on Monday.  I am so done with my left leg.   My heart LOVED this run!!  I was inspired by one lady about to turn 50 running a PR by over 8 minutes!!!  Seriously looking great while running too!!  : D.  I met her and stayed with her until the finish at mile 12.   Stayed about 15 minutes after the race, then took right off  and  drove to Orem  and watched my daughters soccer game that put her in to the finals.  (They won the tournament later that day  :D), then worked from 10am to 6:30pm.  My coworker was kind enough to fill in for me while I ran and then watched the game :D.