"If we don't suffer enough we won't remember it."

30 min elliptical

8 miles with Melanie up/down AF Canyon.  avg 7:22 pace.  The inside of my left foot up by my big toe started hurting on the way down and by the end I was in a lot of pain.  So frustrating to have another problem.

Ran the Provo City 1/2 Marathon without registering.  I wasn't sure I would even make it the 13 miles when I started because my foot hurt.  It seemed to get feeling better as I ran and didn't bother me too much until the cool-down.  My butt started feeling tight and I just kept going.  Later in the day I wished I would have just stopped to stretch it out.  My hamstring hurt again afterwards.  I literally spent two hours digging into the tight spots on my legs on Saturday and again on Sunday so I could walk normally on Monday. 

Time for 1/2 Marathon 1:26:25 (avg 6:36 pace).  One mile warm-up and cool-down.  My foot hurt again on the cool-down.  I'm so much slower than I was last year at this time. 

30

min elliptical

12 miles with Melanie in Lehi.  We ran 6 x 1000 meters, guessed it at about .62 so not exact.  I just tried to run relaxed, so I don't make my tightness problems worse.  I was way behind Melanie.  Paces: 6:14, 6:14, 6:19, 6:07, 6:13, and 6:18.  I can't help but compare myself to last year, when I did mile repeats at 6 min pace, and feel a little discouraged.  I guess I'll just keep plugging away. 

My hamstring felt a little tight at the start, but after stretching a few times it felt good for several miles.  Towards the end I started getting that pinching feeling when I bent to stretch it.  We stopped and stretched after every other one.  My left foot hurt a little the first two miles, then warmed up and didn't bother me the rest of the run.  My left calf was really tight when I got home.  I spent over an hour digging out the tight spots and stretching after I got the kids off to school and am now feeling pretty good. 

I couldn't believe it.  My other hamstring totally flared up, tight and sore and I don't know why.  Now my left hurts like my right one did when that whole problem started.  

Met Melody and Melanie for a run up/down South Fork.  We ran up four miles then turned around.  I couldn't keep up on the way up.  I jokingly said I was going to sit down on the side of the road and cry.  On the way down I couldn't keep up either.  It was more like I felt like I would be pushing it to keep up and pushing it would only make my problems worse.  My left calf and hamstring both hurt and felt tight.  I stopped to stretch.  Josse and Rebecca drove by on their way back up to pick up a car they left at the park there earlier.  I talked to them for a minute.  When I got back to my car at mile 8 I stopped.  Melody and Melanie had run another mile down past the car to get 10 in.  I stretched and waited for them to come back. 

Later that day I decided I'm not going to do Utah Valley.  I felt a huge relief.  I'm not in shape to run a marathon well and I don't want to keep stressing out about it.  

Melanie, Kim and I drove to the Wallsburg turnoff.  We ran in towards Wallsburg  a 1/2 mile then turned around and headed down the canyon.  I didn't want to push the pace and make my tightness and problems worse.  As we ran the hills around Deer Creek I couldn't keep up.  Just keeping up was hard.  When we stopped for water after 5.5 miles I decided to turn around.  I wasn't going to keep up and didn't want to go 17 miles.  It didn't make sense for me to keep going and have to call my husband for a ride.  I ran back to the car. 

I actually didn't feel as bad running back.  I slowed down and stopped every 3/4 mile to stretch.  At one point I realized I actually felt relaxed and was enjoying running.  I think I haven't felt relaxed on a run in months.  I'm always so stressed about how I'm feeling or how I might feel afterwards, or whether I'm going to be able to keep up, or even finish.  I'm so out of shape that I'm pushing it when they're running normal and easy. 

I just want to head out on a run feeling confident I'll be able to make it back and not be in pain.  I'm going to take two weeks to run by myself, short and slow to try to get feeling completely better before I go hard again.  Hopefully by the time my friends recover from Utah Valley in five or six weeks I'll be able to run with them again.  Right now I don't even care about going fast, I just want to feel good.

4 miles.  My daughter woke up with her stomach not feeling well so I kept her home.  I planned to run while the kids were at school.  I got ready to go thinking I could run a mile loop, check on her, run the loop again, etc.  I asked her if she wanted to come in the stroller and she jumped up off the couch and said, "Yes!"  She's clearly not very sick.  I ran 4 miles pushing my 7 year old who is way to big for the running stroller.  We stopped every mile to stretch.  My hamstring and calf hurt a little but I felt better at the end then when I started so that was good.  Average 8:11 pace.

I rode my bike down AF canyon with Melanie while she ran. I drove to the top and rode down, so wimpy, she ran both ways.  I ran a 1/2 mile at the top waiting for her.  My hamstring and calf hurt.  I'm nervous to run again because I don't want to be in pain.  I spent all week trying to just get out of pain and I'm afraid if I run I'll hurt all over all the time again and be right back where I started. 

It was cold and raining and my hands were freezing.  I wished I could run, but at least I got outside and had a nice visit with my friend.  I'll try running next week.

I spent about 2 hours every day last week digging into the tight spots I have everywhere. I couldn't even walk or bend over without pain most of the week and it slowly improved.  I ran 4 slow miles, stopping every mile to stretch, and it helped me realize where else I need to rub out. 

4 miles and this time I only felt like I needed to stretch half way through.  In a little less pain than yesterday.  Still more stretching and rubbing.  Brent came with me on his bike, which was nice. 

I did some yard work later in the day.  This was the first day my aches and pains felt like they were in the "normal" range walking around and doing regular things later in the day.

4 miles, stretched 1/2 way through.  My right hamstring felt like it was being pulled, just a tiny bit on the run, but more later in the day as I walked around.  I can tell my left quad and hip are tight so when that leg goes back and my right leg is forward my hips are twisting funny.  I think that's part of what's causing the pain in my hamstring.  I guess I need to rub on that more. 

4 miles

4 miles.  My hamstring hurt again.  I stretched a lot and dug into my quad later in the day and that helped, but I walked around in pain most of the day. 

5 miles.  I parked my car where Melanie wanted to finish her run along University Ave and biked 2.5 miles to the mouth of the canyon.  I left my bike there and ran just over a mile up to meet her as she came running down.  I ran the last four miles of her run with her.  I wondered if I would be able to keep up with all the conditioning I've lost.  The 6:20's an 30's felt a little like a tempo, but I did it.  So fun to run down the trail side by side again even if it was for only 4 miles. 

I ran into Lily and Carina on the trail and had a nice chat with them.  They gave me some good tips/reminders of what I can do to get over my hamstring/hip issues.  I went home and pulled out my old papers with exercises and stretches the physical therapist gave me when I had this type of problem four years ago.  I spent a while doing all of them and it seemed to help.  I did several of them a couple of times earlier in the week, but this time I did more. 

I'm happy to report I feel better than I've felt in weeks, which is encouraging especially after a good paced 5 mile run.  It's still sad that 5 miles was my "long" run.

6.2 miles with Melanie.  Ran a 10k in AF as a slow easy day.  Stopped to stretch, not sure the pace, about 7:30.

PT exercises, stretching, dug into tight spots.

8 miles with Melanie.  Parked at Bridal Veil, ran up 2 then down 4.  PT exercises, stretching.  I spend about 20 or 30 min three times a day stretching, morning, at lunch and again before bed.  Melanie challenged me to be able to do the splits both ways by St. George.  I've got a long way to go.

Didn't run today.  PT exercises, sit-ups, etc.  Sat in tub working out tight spots in legs.

8 miles with Melanie and Emily in Lehi.  Up along the Burger King/Smith's route.  The hill didn't seem as hard as some other times. 

4 easy miles, PT exercises, stretching, etc.