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

14 miles avg 7:20 pace.  I was really tired at the end of this.  I need more sleep.

4 miles avg 7:46 pace.

Buttler 27th ward 5 k fun run.  Time 19:35.  The person in charge said this course was exactly 3.1 miles, but my watch had it at 3.02 miles for an avg of 6:29 pace.  The loop had a long uphill followed by a short steep downhill.

Freedom Festival 10K.  My goal was 40:24 avg 6:30 pace and I ended up with a 40:41 avg 6:33 pace.  Running through all the 5K people the last mile is very distracting.  I really think they need to divide the 5k and 10k people on different sides of the road starting at Center Street and 9th East!

10 miles avg 7:21 pace.

10 miles part on trails with hills avg 8:18 pace with Melody, Amanda and Desiree.

4 miles avg 7:34 pace

Red Hot Pink Chicks 1/2 Marathon!  Ran the first 1/2 up Provo Canyon slow, 7:30 to 8:30 pace, and the second half fast, 6:30 to 6:40 pace. 

Ran 2 miles to my yoga class, did yoga, and ran 2 miles home.  Avg for the running miles 7:07 pace.

8 miles up/down Provo Canyon with Melody and Amanda avg 7:14 pace.  Ice in river.

8 miles with Melody and Amanda @ 7:23 pace.  Ice in river.

I ran the Bryce Canyon 1/2 marathon on Saturday.  When I registered for this race in April after not being able to run December thru March I thought it would be a miracle if I ran it as fast as last year, 1:24:48.  I printed off my splits from last year on an old bib number and put it on my wrist.  This was my goal and having each mile written down to look at was very helpful.  I ran every split faster or the same as last year except the last mile, which was 6 seconds slower. 

I felt ok for most of the race and seemed to kept pretty even effort splits, considering the hills.  As I drove the course in the car the night before I thought, "These hills are not near as big as I remember them," but during the race they were as big as I remembered them again. 

At about mile 8 I started to feel fatigued.  This is also where the "flat uphill" is.  I also felt very hot and thirsty.  For the last several miles I felt like I couldn't get enough water and stopped at the water stations to drink multiple cups and dump some on my head.  Every mile I looked at my split from last year and thought, "I can do that."  Mile 8 was also the point I slowed down last year.  At mile 11.5 going up a hill that doesn't look like much in the car I felt like I might cry.  But I kept on running and obviously made it to the finish in 1:23:48.  A whole minute faster than last year!  I was pleased with my time and the $200 for placing 4th was an added bonus.  I didn't think I had much of a chance to win anything.

My splits were: 6:32 (mile 1), 6:32 (mile 2), 5:56 (mile 3), 5:59 (mile 4), 6:10 (mile 5), 6:10 (mile 6), 6:15 (mile 7), 6:25 (mile 8), 6:44 (mile 9), 6:26 (mile 10), 6:43 (mile 11), 6:46 (mile 12), 6:37 (mile 13), 36 sec (last .1).  Average 6:24

Nothing. My quads were sore and I was just plain tired from the race Saturday.

6 miles with daughter in stroller.  Wanted to go 8 or 10, but my Achilles hurt.  This really made me nervous since my Achilles is what took me out for 4 months last winter. 

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  I was pleased my legs felt so much better than Tuesday, a little bothersome spot on the right quad and left hamstring, but the Achilles was ok.

I spent the last two days rubbing out just about everything.  I did my calves and quads, got my husband to do the back and but, then yesterday I got my boys (age 9 and 7) to rub my hamstrings.  I paid them each $1 to rub for 10 minutes.  I told them to rub as hard as they could and they complained their hands were getting tired as I said, "2 more minutes, 30 seconds, 10, 9...3, 2, 1"

Avg pace for the run 7:04.

Easy 4 mile loop avg 7:22 pace.

I ran the Deseret News 10K Saturday.  My goal was to beat my previous course time of 38:18, which was a 6:10 average.  I knew the last mile would be harder than the first 5 since the race finishes slightly uphill.  I thought I started out pacing myself well and felt good for most of the race.  I had a 6:06 average going into the last mile, however that last mile my body just felt tired.  I finished in 38:25, just 7 seconds off my goal.  I think if I hadn't raced the week before and done a hard run on Thursday, and perhaps gotten more sleep I could have done it for sure.  Splits: 6:04, 5:57, 6:16, 6:09, 6:09, 6:26, 1:24.  Average 6:11

I ran back along the course to get my husband.  This was his second 10K.  His first one was 11 years ago when my dad registered him for the race.  At the beginning of the year when he said one of his goals for the year was to run a 10K I thought that meant he would train for it.  Apparentlly not, or perhaps his view of "training" is different than mine.  He ran two miles once or twice a week for about 1/2 the weeks this year.  He wanted to finish in 60 min and made it in 63, but that included a bathroom stop at the gas station.  I was just glad he did it.

I think I'm actually in better shape than I was when I ran my 38:18 in 2004.  I wasn't near as tired or sore afterwards this time.  In 2004 my dad was dying of cancer.  I stayed up until 2 a.m. discussing his treatment options with my mom the night before the Freedom Run on July 4th.  I was so exhausted the next morning I decided to just run it with my brother who wasn't in as good of shape as me.  When my dad asked how I did and I told him my time and that I just ran it with Mark he said, "Why didn't you do you best?"  I felt awful.  He would have loved to go run the race and couldn't and I could run and didn't even do my best.  I was determined to "do my best" three weeks later at the Deseret News 10K.  I thought if I ran well I could be under 40 minutes.  As I came down the finish I looked at my watch and thought, "I could slow down and still be under 40 min, but that wouldn't be my best.  I have to do my best."  I dryheaved at the finish and was so tired I felt sick like I might be pregnant the next day, but wasn't.  I also realized that I probably had never done my best before.  I don't think I ever even pushed myself that hard racing in college.  So that's the story of my 38:18.  I actually don't really care that much if I ever beat the time. 

4 easy miles avg 7:24 pace. 

I spent the morning at the hospital with my 4 year old daughter.  She had an MRI and an ABR (auditory brain response) test done.  We found out she can hear normally out of her right hear, but is totally deaf in her left ear.  The Audiologist painted a somewhat grim picture of how this might affect her especially with regards to her schooling. 
 
I'm really happy she can hear out of her right ear as the Menangitis she had at 15 months could have just as easily taken the hearing from both ears.  I'm glad she will be able to live a "normal" life, but it still makes me a little sad.  I never thought about what it would be like to only hear out of one ear, but apparently it's a lot harder than hearing out of two.  

A lot of people deal with things that are a lot worse, so I don't want to sound like I'm complaining.  I'm glad we found out about the problem when we did and that the problems aren't any worse.  One doctor at the hospital yesterday said, "I don't want to make light of this hearing problem, but if this is her only problem you're really lucky."  He was referring to her bout with Menangitis.  I am really lucky to have her and that she's doing so well.  She's beautiful and bright and is actually my best "listener."  My boys have selective hearing.

I welcome advice or insight from anyone with experience with this sort of thing.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  Started out "meduim" pace then sped up.  Average 6:56.

9 miles Avg 7:22 pace.  2 miles to Melody's house, 5 miles with Melody and Amanda, 2 miles back home. 

I got some new shoes and they rubbed a huge blister on the side of my heal.  I've had this shoe before, so I don't understand what's going on.  I was going to go 10, but stopped at 9 because the blister hurt so bad.  I'm taking them back to the store.  I just hope the blister heals enough so I can do my long run Saturday without being in a lot of pain.  Right now I can't wear any shoes. 

I'm so mad! I can't believe a stupid blister is taking me out! I'm not going to be able to run tomorrow either and I planned to go 18!

I lay in bed last night thinking about how I wasn't going to be able to run because of this dumb blister.  Then I got out of bed and started cutting up old running shoes thinking if I cut a hole out of a shoe so it didn't rub on the blister I just might be able to do it.  Was up until 1:45 a.m.  My husband was gone doing a work thing from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. and couldn't believe I was still awake when he got home.  I don't think we've stayed up that late since before we had kids. 

I got a pair of shoes to work good enough that I could do the elyptical.  Not good enough to run though.  I slept in to 9 a.m.  That was some sort of record too.  We've arrived at a some  new parenting stage.  I don't think we've stayed in bed that late since before we had kids either.  I went to the Fitness Center and did the elyptical for 1 hour 20 min and read 38 pages of the Book of Mormon.  The multi-tasking aspect was nice.  There was hardly anyone there and the TV's were off. I would have gone longer, but I ran out of time.  The morning goes really fast when you sleep in until 9 a.m.

I'm hoping to run on Tuesday.