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

Swimming and some bike at the Gym

Swimming and bike at the Gym

4 mile run with my brother.  Minimal pain starting 1/2 way through, but quite a bit of pain later in the day and the next day.  I'm so discouraged.  We ran about a 7:30 pace and I was breathing a lot harder than I was a month ago.

Swimming and Bike at Gym

Bike at Gym

Yoga (I hate yoga)

Physical Therapy exercises, walk for 20 minutes on treadmill and yoga.  None of it's as fun as running 10 miles.

30 min bike at Gym

Achilles is feeling much better this week.  Can walk without pain.  Still nervous about running though.  Will wait until at least Saturday. 

I'm not holding out much hope in doing the SLC Marathon.  I feel like I've lost a lot of conditioning the last 6 weeks.  My focus is now to take it slow and hope for Utah Valley. 

My daughter didn't have preschool today like usual.  I took her with me to the gym, but she wasn't as interested in coloring while I biked as she was on Tuesday.  I biked for 12 minutes.  How pitiful is that!  She said, "I want to go swimming now" and I quit.  That's how much I like biking.  We went to the pool and I worked on teaching her how to swim.  We've got a lot of work to do there.

Did 20 min yoga show before bed.  Yoga can potentially be a very good strength workout, but this was easy yoga, more like meditative stretching than really working out. 

I was a little more motivated to cross train today after I got on the scale and realized I've gained about 3 lbs.  Swam for 45 min, walked for 10 min and biked for 20 min.  The PT said I should be able to walk pain free before I started running.  I was encouraged I could walk for 10 minutes without pain, only a little sensation towards the end like it wasn't quite right.  I think if I kept going another 10 It might have hurt.  But a few weeks ago I cold only walk about 2 min before I was in a lot of pain.

Not much today, just 1 1/2 miles walking on the treadmill and some leg exercises.  Was encouraged that I could walk for over 20 minutes with only minimal pain starting at the end.

Bike for 1 hour at the Fitness Center.

I went to the Chiropractor today.  Along with my Achilles problem I have also had pain behind my knee.  It's a strange sort of twisting / pinched nerve kind of thing. 

I went to Ben Higbee.  He ran at BYU and is very good at working with athletes.  So he worked on me, adjusted my back and neck, and even did some acupuncture on my Achilles/leg and I think it really helped. 

He said Achilles problems are often associated with stress. and I said, "I'm stressed out because I can't run!"  Hopefully I'll be back soon. 

Thanks to all the people who have encouraged me and sympathized with me these last few weeks.  It really helps.

Physical Therapy exercises and walked on the treadmill for 22 minutes or 1 1/2 miles.  I felt quite a bit better today.  The pain behind my knee has lessened and my Achilles didn't bother me for the first time in 8 weeks.  I still have one real tight sore spot on my calf. 

I'm so nervous to run though.  I don't want to undo all this work I've done to get it better, but of course the whole reason I even care about getting it better is so I can run.  I don't mind walking around in pain all day as long as I can feel good on a 10 mile run.

I think I might be on the right track with the chiropractor.  Yesterday my whole body felt better than it has in months.  Then it popped and cracked a few times and today wasn't quite as good.  

I ran 3 miles.  The pain behind my knee came back, but not as bad as before and the achilles started to feel funny after 2 1/2 so that's why I quit at 3.  I think my back has been out since the day after Thanksgiving, so it may take a while to get it used to being where it's supposed to be. 

I ran just over 7 min miles.  90 % of my body felt good to be running again.  After about a mile my lungs were burning and my mouth tasted like blood.  I've definately lost some of my endurance if that's how I feel running 7 min miles. 

4 miles with my brother at 7:49 pace.  It was very discouraging to be breathing so hard and feeling so tired running at that pace.  The pain I've been having behind my knee didn't bother me while I ran, but still bothers me a little at other times in the day when I move certain ways.  My achilles only hurt a little off and on during the run, but bothered me the rest of the day, which was also discouraging.  Oh, and the inch I can usually pinch around my middle is now two inches!  That's discouraging too.

I finally went running with my friends again!  Melody, Josse, Desere, and Amanda ran towards my house and I met up with them for a 4 mile run.  My leg hurt a little, but it was so nice to be out in the dark at 6 a.m. in 28 degrees again. 

My Achilles felt really strange when I got done, like I could feel the tendon moving/sliding inside itsself.  I wondered whether I had really over done it, but I iced it and the part of the tendon that felt funny, which was also the part that has hurt me the most, has not really bothered me since. 

Biked for 45 min then tried to run.  Made it 1/2 mile before I decided running two days in a row wasn't smart.  I probably would have made it farther if I didn't bike first.  Biking iritates it just a little.  Now the pain is higher up, like I overstretched where the muscle meets the tendon.  At least it's not the same pain as usual. 

Went to Dr. Higbee (Chiropractor) again today.  The rest of my body and the problem with my knee seem to be doing much better.  Did some PT exercises and sit-ups in my livingroom. 

I've decided my goal is to be able to run the Salt Lake City 1/2.  Just a goal to finish without injury pain.  Really racing it and looking like I'm racing it is probably impossible.  Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my friends who are running the full for the first 6 miles until we split, then hang out at the finish to see them come in.

Swam for 45 minutes and did some PT exercises and stretching.

Ran 4 miles with Melody and Amanda this morning.  It felt so good to get out in the cold.  My leg felt much better on the run than it did on Monday.  Only a little pain in the middle of the run.  Then we did a 15 min Ab workout in Melody's basement.  It was the hardest Ab workout I've ever done.  I felt so good afterwards! 

Now it's a few hours later and I have a little pain walking, but not as bad as after my run last Sat or Mon.  This is the first day I've actually felt encouraged that I might be really getting better.

I'm back to feeling discouraged.  My Achilles hurt more and more as the day progressed yesterday and this morning I knew running was not an option.  I went to the Fitness Center and swam for 30 minutes.  Maybe I need to take up Triathalons.

Ran 7 Miles with Melody, Desiree, and Amanda.  I actually trailed behind them more than I ran with them.  I stopped to stretch and wait for them to come back my way at one point.  My leg felt fine while I was running, but hurts now.  Avg 7:43 

Maybe I just need to give it more time.  I know that sounds crazy since I gave it 8 weeks, but I started running as soon as I could walk around pain free and maybe that was to soon.

4 miles at 8 min pace with Melody and Desiree. I'm still barely recovering from my double achilles injury and some strange pinched nerve behind my left knee. I was so glad to finally be out running, almost pain free, but this was an "easy" run for my friends and hard for me. I felt like I might throw-up after only 4 miles and we weren't even going fast!

4 miles with my girl in the running stroller.  My watch battery went out so I don't know my pace.  It's probably a good thing.  Still a little pain in the right ankle, but doesn't seem to get worse when I run.

4 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  I stopped each mile to stretch and catch my breath so it seemed a little like intervals.  Went too soon after lunch and felt sick to my stomach when I turned around.  Avg 7:18 pace.  With all the stopping and how bad I felt it's not as good as it sounds.

Yoga Class & 4 mile run

I love my Mon & Wed 6:30 a.m. yoga class in Orem.  If anyone is interested it is only $5 a class!  I can get you a 3 session free pass to try it out and see if you're interested.

35 min elliptical

4 miles treadmill & Yoga class

4 miles

4 slow miles

6 miles with Mark.  7:46 pace

4 miles with daughter in stroller

8 miles.  I went about as fast as I could keep up for 8 miles and averaged 7:19 pace.  I'm glad I'm improving and my conditioning is coming back relatively fast, but this 7:19 felt like what a 6:45 used to feel like.  My arms hurt the most.  They were sore and tired from Yoga the day before.

8 miles avg 7:22 pace.  I was tired.

3 treadmill miles @ 7:30 pace

8 miles avg 7:38 pace

Ran 6 miles up/down provo canyon with Melody, Amanda & Desiree.  My watch battery went out so I had no idea how fast we were going.  I was surprised and happy to find out we averaged a 7:26. 

This was a big improvememt from the first run I did with them three weeks ago when I felt like I was going to throw-up after 4 miles at 8 min pace.

8 miles.  This was a disjointed haphazzard run with lots of stopping.  Traffic lights, injury stops(not mine), bathroom breaks, etc.  Part with Desiree, some with Melody and Sussie, finished off with just Melody.  Avg 7:47 pace.

11.35 miles.  Yes, I was too tired to round it off to an even 11.5 and especially not 12!  Actually considered walking that last .35 to my car.  I stopped my watch and took a few steps then decided to just run it.

Met Melody, Amanda and Desiree near the Riverwoods shopping center at 5:15 a.m.  We drove to Vivian Park, ran 2 miles up South Fork then came down Provo Canyon 9 miles.  They were going 14 and continued down to Will's Pit Stop and back, but I cut out early and went to my car.  Avg 7:24 pace.  My shoulders hurt from trying this funky new move at Yoga (trying incorrectly)  Other than that I just felt tired.  When I got into the shower I felt like I had raced.

Took a nap for almost 2 hours while my boys were at school / girl at pre-school.  I really needed it too. 

4 miles with Brent on bike @ 7:37 pace.  My left quad started to hurt the last mile.  I think that long downhill run yesterday was about the max my quads could take. 

6 miles with Mark at 7:26 pace.  Happy my qual didn't bother me while running.  Wanted to go 10, but thought that might be too much for it.  The quad feels sore when I rub it, but I think it will be better next week.

4 miles with daughter in stroller

9 miles average 7:35 pace

10 miles with 6 x 1/2 mile repeats with 1/2 mile recovery in the middle.  I haven't done any speed work in 6 months so the first few really felt strange.  I ran from my house south on University Ave and back so the first 4 slightly downhill, last 2 slightly uphill.  1/2 mile interval paces, 6:42, 6:36, 6:28, 6:13, 6:46,6:42.  My whole run avg 7:39 pace.  When I looked at how long it took me I realized I finished this run a whole mile behind myself of a year ago.  That's discouraging.

4 miles with daughter in stroller.

Ran 12 miles with Melody and Amanda.  2.25 miles up South Fork @ about 8:30 pace and then down the canyon to Vintage (near Riverwoods) @ about 7 min pace.  Whole run Avg 7:17 pace.  I felt tons better than I did 10 days ago when we did this run so that made me happy.  It was nice to feel good doing some 7 min miles even if it was downhill.

4 miles with daughter in stroller.

10 miles with Melody.  I was nervous about doing this workout, but it turned out great.  We ran from Vintage just over three miles up Provo Canyon as a warm up then headed down for our intervals.  5 x 1200 m with 400 m jogging recovery.  My interval times were 4:37(6:09 pace), 4:38(6:11 pace), 4:35(6:09 pace), 4:37(6:10 pace), and 4:31(6:02 pace).  Then we ran 1 1/2 miles cool down back to our cars.  I was happy with my times even if we were running downhill.  Of course Melody was way out ahead of me making 5:53 pace look like a jog in the park.   

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon @ 7:24 pace.  I'm still a lot more tired running that pace than I used to be.

6 miles with Melody and Amanda @ 7:31 pace.

14 miles with Amanda, Desiree and Melanie B.  We ran from the Utah Valley Marathon start in Wellsburg down the canyon.  I left my car at Vivian Park and stopped there while they kept running.  We started out what felt fast for me, around 7 min pace.  After 6 miles I thought I wasn't going to be able to keep up, but we slowed down some and I somehow got feeling better.  I felt pretty good the last 4 miles.  Avg 7:20 pace. 7:08, 6:49, 6:57, 7:08, 7:07, 7:39 (hills), 7:53(hills), 7:16, 7:24, 7:32, 7:33(.65 - accidentally hit the lap button), 7:22, 7:32, 7:29 (.42) 

The new Utah Valley course is harder through the miles around Deer Creek (6 through 9) than I thought it would be.  I thought it would be flat because you're going around the lake, but the road really goes up and down there.

I think if I ran a 1/2 marathon right now I would be lucky to run a 1:30 and be under 7 min miles.  If I ran a marathon I would be lucky to finish without walking the last 6 miles.

8 miles in the snow with Melody and Michelle @ 7:31 pace.  I guess I didn't miss out on all the winter running with my injury after all.

9 miles with Melody, Amanda and Desiree with 4 x 800 m with 400 m recoverty then 4 x 400 m with 400 m recovery in the middle.  Last one on the track at BYU to bring back old memories. 

10 miles avg 7:40 pace

10 miles.  Ran to the start of the Memorial Day 10k run.  Ran the race unregistered and then ran back home.  Towards the end I didn't want to go any faster, but I could have kept running the pace I was doing for much longer.  Avg for the 10k was 6:51 pace.  Would have placed 3rd overall if I was registered.

4 miles easy.  Having some pain on the inside of my left foot.

9 miles with 3 x 1 mile repeats with 3 min jogging recovery.  Did the mile repeats coming down Provo Canyon.  Mile repeat times:  6:11, 6:12. 6:00.  Run with Amanda, Melody & Desiree.

9 miles with most of it on trails.  Ran with Melody, Amanda, & Desiree.  Felt like an 11 mile effort.  My foot hurt a lot after this.  I think the uneven surfaces irritated it more. 

5 miles with Melody, Amanda & Desiree then ice in river.  Foot hurt most of the time.

Nothing.  Upset about my foot pain.  Slept in and initially thought I might go later in the day.  Got busy cleaning the house and doing yard work.  Planted some trees in our back yard.  Had a busy night with 2 wedding receptions to go to.

4 miles easy with my husband on the bike.  He took the day off work.  Spent all afternoon at 7-Peaks with the kids walking around bare foot.  I think this was bad for my foot.

8 miles with Amanda, Melody & Desiree.  Ran down University Ave to Provo Town Center to do the finish of the Utah Valley course. 

Nothing!  Trying to get my foot better.

4 miles easy with Amanda then ice in river.

Ran the Utah Valley 1/2 marathon unregistered.  I wanted a bench mark for my conditioning.  My goal was to run a 6:45 pace.  I thought this would be easy coming down the canyon and more difficult on University Avenue. 

Mile 1: 6:38 (felt good), Mile 2: 7:03(uphill and carrying on a conversation with the girl next to me, too slow), Mile 3: 6:04 (this felt too fast), Miles 4-8: 6:19, 6:30, 6:37, 6:39, 6:36 (just right and felt comfortable to maintain), Miles 9-10, 6:46, 6:44 (still felt good, but slowing down), Miles 11-12: 6:36, 6:38 (time to speed up, still felt good), Mile 13: 6:42 (the overpass was harder than I thought it would be) Last .13 49 sec (6:14 pace)

Average 6:36 pace.  Would  have placed 6th overall if registered.  The top 5 were quite a ways ahead of me though.

Melody and I drove to the Riverwoods to cheer on the marathon runners we knew then back to the finish to cheer them on again.  We saw Amber Green, but were too far away for her to hear us.  Also Julie T, Melanie B, Amanda and Desiree. 

This morning was so much fun.  I was injured all winter and I really missed doing races.

4 easy miles up/down Provo Canyon alone.

Met Melody for 10 miles with hills at 7:35 avg pace then ice in river. 

Wasatch Back Relay Leg #1 :

7.9 miles at 9:30 a.m. Avg 7:00 pace.  Mostly flat with a few little uphills.  

8.5 miles at 5:55 p.m. Avg 6:54 pace.  1st mile steep uphill @ 9:30 pace.  Then 7 miles down.  Hard on the quads.

Wasatch Back Relay Leg#1:

4.8 miles at 3:50 a.m.  Avg 7:33 pace.  Flat run after 2 1/2 hours sleep on the grass at the fair ground.  Much harder than I thought it would be to run without sleeping.

4 miles with son on bike.  Avg 8:03 pace.  He had a hard time going any faster.

10 miles with Melody and Amanda along Provo Running Trail.  Avg 7:32 pace.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon with husband on bike.  Avg 7:01 pace.  (7:24 up / 6:38 down) 

4 easy

8 with Desiree avg 7:08 pace then 6 with Mark avg 7:33 pace

4 miles avg 7:18 pace

Ran 10 miles with Melody and Desiree up/down Provo Canyon.  Three miles of 1 min hard / 1 min recovery on the way down.  Avg for whole run about 7:06 (not sure)

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. 

Elyptical for 25 min then yoga class.

12 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  It was so nice to run again.  I'm also glad to report the new shoes I got, after I took the ones from last Thursday back to the store, are working great.  The blister isn't any worse after my run, and I only noticed the pain off and on.  I was also happy with the pace.  Avg 6:56.  (avg 7:09 up and 6:43 down)  I haven't averaged under 7's in a workout all year. 

Now I just need to be able to do that for 20.  Right now 14 is long.  That's the most I've done all year.  I really need to jump into the 18 and 20's.  I know those first couple are really going to hurt the last few miles.  But after being forced to take off last Saturday I'm really ready for a long one this Saturday. 

Yoga

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  Ran south to Orem Center street then up the canyon on the path.  Did 5 x 1 mile with 1/2 mile jogging recovery.  The first two were uphill & into the wind:  6:41 & 6:49.  The last three were down the canyon:  6:14, 6:02 & 6:12.  Avg for run 7:10 pace.  I need a nap.

4 very easy miles pushing daughter in stroller @ 8:10 pace

The objective of my run today was to get in 18 miles, as I haven't gone farther than 15 all year and Top of Utah is only a few weeks away. 

I got a ride up South Fork with Melanie and some others to the start of the Provo River 1/2 Marathon.  One mile warm-up then I started the race with Melanie.  We went out a little faster than we planned.  The first 6 miles were:  6:03, 6:11, 6:20, 6:10, 6:32, 6:25.  Then my calf cramped up on me and I thought "This is stupid!"  I had a cramp at mile 7 of an 18 mile run.  I needed the 18 miles much more than I needed to do a few fast ones and I wasn't even registered for the race. 

I slowed down and a mile or so later my calf felt better.  I also started stopping at the water stations to drink a lot.  Miles 7 - 9 were slow:  6:48 (slowed down about 1/2 way through this one), 7:04 (uphill switch back section), 7:05 (pee in bushes). 

Miles 10 - 13 I got back into a good pace and felt comfortable again:  6:39, 6:35, 6:45, 6:31, Last .2 (6:15 pace).  This was a down the canyon course.  My time was 1:26:22 Avg 6:32. 

Then I headed out for another 4 miles.  Ran back along the course about 3 miles up the canyon and one mile back down to my car.  Avg for this part 7:03.  I was happy I didn't feel horrible at the end.  My 18th mile coming down the canyon was 6:36.  Overall I was pleased with the workout I got.

Went to yoga then ran 4 miles with my daughter in the stroller. My achilles hurt a little. This makes me very nervous. I got in to see Dr. Souza, a chiropractor/massage therapist. Usually he books out a few weeks so I was lucky to get in this day. He worked me over and told me not to run tomorrow. I think I need to get the thightness out of my calves more than I need to do a run tomorrow.

Ran 12 miles up/down Provo Canyon. Up pace 7:21 average. Down pace 6:49 average. Total Average 7:05. Felt good, but tired the last 2 miles. Don't feel "injured" so that's good.

Met Melanie, Kim and Julie C at Nunn's park to run up/down Provo Canyon.  I planned to go 20, but Melanie talked me into 21 at about mile 9.  At mile 10 I still felt good and another 1/2 mile up didn't seem like a big deal.  Our up average was 7:32 pace.  I stuck with Melanie until about mile 14.  When we stopped for water I realized I could quit right then and feel like I had a good workout.  At mile 15 I decided I was only going 20.  I would walk the last mile.  At mile 17 when I stopped to stretched I wished I was only going 18, but walking 3 miles would take way to long.  My 20th mile was slow, 7:25 pace coming down the running path towards Bridal Vale Falls.  I stopped to walk as soon as I heard my watch beep 20!  Walked the last mile to my car and iced in the river.  Average coming down 7:12 pace, for overall average 7:22 pace. 

So I realized I really don't have the distance in me right now for a marathon.  My pace wasn't too bad, but I felt horrible at the end.  There's no way I could have run 6 more miles today.  I hope a few more 20's will be enough to make 20 seem easy, becasue right now 20 does not seem easy. 

8 miles with Mark up/down Provo Canyon.  Avg 7:31 pace.  Still a little sore and tired from Thursday.

4 miles easy with daughter in stroller. I can't believe how much that 20 miler took out of me. I still feel like I'm recovering. And now my calves are all tight again. I hope my Achilles doesn't start hurting again too.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  Avg 6:56 pace.

Ran 18 miles up/down Provo Canyon this morning.  From my house south to the Will's Pit Stop on Univ Ave, then up the canyon to just past Vivian and back home.  I ran south for a few miles first so I wouldn't be running in the canyon in the dark so early by myself.  This was my long run for the week.  Last Thursday's 20 miler was a total confidence smasher.  I felt horrible and it took me days to recover.  This run was more of a confidence leveler.  I felt a lot better than I did at mile 18 on the 20 last week, but I think the course I was running was a little easier too.  I was happy with my pace, avg 7:05 pace.

4 miles easy with Melody, Marie and Joanna, then ice in river.  avg 7:43 pace.

Went to the Park City 1/2 Marathon with my sister.  She was registered, but unfortunately I didn't get registered before it filled up.  I ran 2 miles with her at a 7:50 pace then took off.  I ran 10 miles at avg 7:05 pace.  Then I turned around and met back up with her for her last 2 miles at about 8:45 pace.  I wish I could have been registered becasue I would have been in the top three.  Maybe next year.

Ran 10 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  Avg 7:14 up & 6:26 down for total 6:50 average.  I was thinking I felt really tired and thought I was still worn out from last week until I realized how fast I was going. 

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon pushing my daughter in the stroller.  I used to push my boys all the time when they were little, but now I rarelly go with the stroller and it makes a huge difference.  I couldn't believe how tired I was going up the hills and how slow I was going.  Avg 8:02 pace.

4 miles with daughter in stroller.  Avg 8:02 again.

4 miles @ 7:16 pace

20 miles.  Drove up South Fork with Melanie, Kim, Jane and Keri, one mile warm-up running up South Fork then 13 miles faster coming down avg 6:38 pace.  Then 6 miles slower out along University Ave and back to cars at avg 7:25.  Total run avg 7:02 pace.  It seemed like we stopped a lot.  After my 18 with them I did two more and ran into my brother Mark.  He ran my last mile with me and we iced in the river together.

Yoga and 4 miles easy with my daughter in the stroller. Didn't time myself. I feel like I'm getting sick, runny nose and sore throat.

10 miles @ average 7:07 pace.  I felt worse than I should have felt for that pace.  Ate  really healthy and took a long nap in the afternoon.

Feeling even worse. Didn't even get up for yoga.

10 miles @ avg 7:02 pace.  Felt a little better than Tues, but still not 100%.  Ran at 6:00 a.m. then got my boys off to school.  Then spent 2 1/2 hours in bed while my daughter played with her cousins at grandma's house. 

4 miles @ avg 7:32 pace.  I feel like this cold is going to my lungs!  Usually if I don't beat a cold in three or four days I end up at the doctor's office after 10 or 12.  But I don't feel like I have that kind of time right now, with my marathon in 2 weeks.  So I went to the doctor and got medicine for my sinus infection. 

18 miles up/down Provo Canyon/South Fork.  The medicine really kicked in and I felt a ton better today than yesterday.  I've always intended to do a 2 week taper, but don't think I've ever ended up doing it.  Avg 7:22 pace up & 6:36 pace down, total 6:59 pace.

6 miles with Mark @ 7:12 pace.  My sinus infection came back.  I guess the one doze Zmax wasn't enough. 

4 miles easy because I didn't feel well.  Went back to the Dr. and got on something stronger for my sinus infection. 

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon @ 7:00 pace.  Went to bed feeling tons better from my sinus infection, but didn't sleep well.  Spent 7 hours in bed and slept for about 4 1/2.  I went to back-to-school night and am really stressed out about my son's schooling.

4 miles easy

10 miles with Mark @ 7:39 pace

Nothing.  Woke up feeling like my head cold is coming back.  I can't believe it.

10 miles.  Went back to the Dr. for the third time.  She told me to take Ibuprofin.  The antibiotic should have gotten the infection, so could be a virus or my body still fighting off whatever it is making me sick.  I've had a headache everyday and now the body aches.  I can't believe how bad I feel and that this has gone on for two whole weeks!  Only three more days to get better.  I'm going to sleep as much as I can and not run again until the race. 

I had to buy a new cell phone today.  I stuck my phone in my bra while I ran on Tuesday (in case one of the kids called me from school) and sweat it out.  When I took it appart it was totally wet inside.  This is the phone that survived a cycle in the washing maching two years ago.  I must sweat more than a washing machine! 

I ran the Top of Utah Marathon today. I was hoping to break 3 hours but didn't quite do it.  My previous PR was 3:03:42 on that course last year and I haven't done a marathon since.  Last year 3:03 got me 2nd place and this year 3:01 got me nothing.  When I registered for the race after taking 4 months (Dec-Mar) off for an injury I thought it would be a miracle if I ran as fast as last year. 

For having a PR I think I should have enjoyed it more though.  I spent most of the race discouraged and worried.  I feel like I'm still getting over my head cold.  My hamstring and Achilles started huring me around mile 13.  I was afraid I might have a real problem.  That hurt for several miles then my Quads hurt.  I've had trouble with my quads for over a month now.  I didn't do as many long runs in preparation this time and the few I did really wipped me out.  I was worried I would totally fall to pieces the last 6 miles.  Fortunately my body held together, but I didn't feel confident of that until about the last 3 miles. 

My splits were: 6:31, 6:35, 6:41, 6:51, 6:51, 6:45, 6:52, 6:35, 6:47, 6:44, 6:42, 6:32, 6:35, 6:28, 6:41, 6:49, 6:47, 6:52, 6:53, 7:33 (walk @ water stop and stretch), 6:56, 7:19, 7:42 (another walk @ water stop and quick stretch), 7:35, 7:19, 7:16, last .39 @ 7:06 pace

I really sturggled miles 19 through 22, decided I would never do another marathon etc..  I thought I was coming up on mile 22 when I saw the 23rd mile marker.  That was encouraging.  When I stretched at the water stops I thought I was already in 6th place and couldn't see anyone in front of me.  I felt discouraged about 6th place, but kept reminding myself I was on track for a PR.  Later I learned one of the ladies ahead of me jumped in to run with someone and wasn't registered.  When I passed her in mile 23 she told me she wasn't registered and that I was in 5th.  But that didn't last long because Mary Ann ran by me looking really strong at about mile 24 1/2 and I just didn't have it in me to stay with her. 

I was happy with my time and how good I felt the last 2 miles, especailly after how poorly I felt a few miles earlier.  I swore off marathons at mile 20, but I still want to break 3 hours, so I guess I'll do another one.

Happy that I'm not very sore.  I feel about like I felt after TOU last year and I thought that was my best "recovery."  My head cold is still really bothering me though. 

Set the alarm to get up for Yoga, but the AM/PM was wrong.  I woke up right when I needed to be leaving and decided I'd just do another day of nothing.  The extra sleep felt good.  I needed it. 

8 miles up/down Provo Canyon @ 7:07 pace.  I feel like I'm finally over my cold.  My legs were tired at the end, but the rest of my body felt much better than I've felt in weeks!  I had more energy and was breathing a lot easier. 

8 miles at 7:39 pace.  Michelle L came to Orem to run and it was fun to go with her.

This was a weird run that in hindsight was a total disaster!  I met my sister (who is in town from AZ) and my brother (that lives next door) at 6:00 a.m. for a 10 mile run.  My husband drove us 10 miles away, up South Fork so we could run home.  As we drove up the canyon in the car I said, "Isn't this great!  How many adult siblings meet up at 6 a.m. to go running?"  to which my brother said, "I can only think of three." 

Mark and I were running and my sister was on her bike.  The first 1.75 miles was great.  Then Sandra's tire totally went flat in a matter of seconds.  We walked a tenth of a mile then left her and started running.  About a tenth of a mile later we flagged down a car and used their cell phone to call my husband to bring up another bike and meet her at Vivian.  Sandra caught up to us and we told her the plan.  Mark and I started running again and a tenth of a mile later I tripped on a rather big rock, as it was still dark.  All of the sudden I was diving towards the road face first.  I rolled over my right side and even hit my head!  As I was laying on the road dizzy and in pain everywhere I thought "I can't believe this!"  And Mark said, "What's wrong with us today?"  My knees, hands, hip, shoulder and head all hurt.  I sat there for long enough that Sandra caught back up to us. 

Mark and I continued on our run.  Sandra caught up to us on the other bike at Bridal Vale about 20 minutes later.  For the next 4 miles my left knee only hurt a little bit.  At first I wasn't sure if it was just the scrape or something else.  After we stopped for water though it hurt more then 2 miles later when we stopped for water again it hurt even more.  I was making it home ok, until I stopped at the traffic light on 800 N and Palisades drive 1/2 mile from home.  The last 1/2 mile really hurt. 

Now my knee is all swollen and I can't even walk normally.  This is so frustrating.  I had such high hopes for St. George.  I wonder if one week is enough for a knee to heal from that hard of a hit.

I woke up Sunday morning with even more swelling in my left knee and a lot of soreness in my right shoulder and the left side of my neck.  I whiplashed my neck and bruised my shoulder when I hit the ground on Saturday.  The maid problem is my left knee.  It's hard to imagine how in the world I'll be able to run a marathon on Saturday when my knee is so swollen and hurts so bad that I can't even walk normally on Monday.  This is very discouraging.  I'm taking Ibuprofin off and on and iceing it several times a day.  I guess later today or tomorrow I'll start alternating heat/ice. 

My  hopes of running St. George are fading.  I still have some swelling in my knee.  I can walk normally, but it hurts a little to do so.  My test run down the hallway in my house was rather painful.  I did heat/ice/heat/ice on Monday night and Tuesday morning and rode my bike up/down the street a few times very slowly to get it moving again, which both seemed to help.  If I can't go out an run two miles without pain on Friday morning then I won't go to St. George.

I decided not to do the St. George Marathon tomorrow.

I took 800 mg of Ibuprofin at 6:00 a.m and went out for a run at 7:00 a.m.  I ran 1 mile loop, stopped, stood in the road thinking in front of my house, ran the loop again, came inside, went back out and ran the loop again.  My knee hurt every step I took.  It was the type of pain I could live with for a 10k, or maybe even an easy 10 mile run, but not a marathon. 

I wanted to enjoy St. George and hopefully run sub 3 hrs.  I think with that type of pain I won't enjoy it.  The pain would wear on me and I would stress the whole time about whether it would become unbearable etc.  I think I'm in shape to run a sub 3 hr on that course, but it's just not going to happen tomorrow.

I am encouraged my knee didn't seem to swell up more afterwards and doesn't feel any worse from the run.  I also don't think I did any permanent damage as it just still feels really bruised, etc. 

Good luck to everybody else running St. George tomorrow!

Met my brother Mark for his 10 mile run up/down Provo Canyon.  I rode a bike most of the way.  About 1 1/2 miles from our turn around point I parked the bike and ran up/down for a total of 3 miles.  Then I hopped back on my bike and rode home.  The canyon seemed deserted with all the St. George marathon runners gone.  My knee hurt on the run, but actually seemed a little better at the end than the beginning and didn't swell or hurt more afterwards.  I know I did the right thing to not do St. George.

Met Marie, Desiree, Rebecca, Melody, Amanda and Catherine for a run.  I ended up with 7 total, about 5 with them.  My knee still hurts every step I take, but after I got going I didn't notice it as much because of the conversation.  Avg 7:33 (couple of 7's but mostly 7:45's)

I keep thinking any day my knee will feel better.  I got all ready for a 10 mile run, cell phone, gel, hat, water, etc. and about 1 mile into it decided I should only go 4.  It's very frustrating.  I don't have a lot of visible swelling, but there is some swelling right at the base of my knee cap, and a hint of black and blue.  I think I'm bruised under my knee cap.  It doesn't hurt when I land on my leg, but bending/lifting my leg after each step causes pain.

I'm so frustrated with my knee.  Running doesn't seem to make it hurt any more, but it hurts when I run, or walk or just about anything else for that matter.  I can't bend my knee all the way as that causes a lot of pain.  It's tender to the touch all around the joint, but the main concentration of pain is in the lower inside part of my knee just below the knee cap.  I still have a little visible swelling here.  I ran 6 miles on some hills and it hurt a lot worse going down than up.  I've massaged my quad and hamstrings and around the knee to try to loosen things up.  I'm doing hot/cold/hot/cold each night.  Maybe it just needs more time.  I hope I didn't tear something.  Any insight anyone? 

I ran 5 miles with Marie today.  She had a baby in Feb and is still getting back into it.  I think she's in better shape than she thinks she is because we ran avg 7:13 pace. 

Still pain in the knee.  I saw Dr. Pratt today.  He thinks I bruised my patella and everything else it smacked into when my knee hit the ground.  He thinks I have small tears in the tendons around the patella.  This can take weeks and even months to completely heal from.  By the placement and severity of the pain / swelling he doesn't think I broke bone or tore cartilage etc.  If I don't feel continued improvement he'll do an x-ray in 2 or 3 weeks.  If it's getting better than I'll just keep getting better, but it may take a long time. 

I spent the weekend totally "babying" my knee.  I didn't do anything to cause it any pain, in an effort to let the tendons heal.  After "limping" for a couple of days I can now walk normally without pain, only minor discomfort doing stairs, and am able to bend it much farther than before.  I went to the fitness center this morning and did the elyptical for 55 min and it didn't hurt doing that either.  I still feel a little swelling and some pain when I bend my knee to far or twist my leg etc.  I'm encouraged that I think I will be able to run again in much less pain at the end of the week.

I decided I was going to run today and so I did.  We drove to Arches National Park yesterday and hiked around with the kids.  When I woke up my knee hurt again.  I ran becuse I planned to, but only went 2 miles.  After 1 mile I turned around and ran back to the hotel.  I feel like I just undid my week of rest with a few hours of hiking and a 2 mile run. 

1 mile on treadmill.  Knee hurts.

45 minutes elliptical at fitness center

Ran 5 miles with Amanda.  My knee was feeling so much better until I put too much weight on it when I knelt down to say my prayers last night.  I've been sort of laying on my bed with my legs hanging off and the knees hovering a few inches above the floor etc.  My knee only hurt a tiny bit while running so I finished feeling really encouraged.  However it started to hurt after I iced it and swelled up over the next few hours.  I could hardly walk around for about 1/2 the day then it started to improve.   

45 min elliptical at fitness center

45 min elliptical at fitness center and 1 mile on treadmill.  It started to hurt after 3/4 mile so I stopped as I didn't want to be in pain the rest of the day.

I ran 4 miles @ 7:01 pace.  I was breathing a lot harder than I used to feel at that pace.  My knee feels weak and had a slight dull ache, but nothing like the pulling twisting pain I was having!  It feels good to finally have some hope. 

I feel like I'm finally on the way to a full recovery from the knee injury I got when I fell while running over a month ago.  After a month of pain every step I took, pain rolling over in bed at night, pain sitting down if I bent my knee too far, I finally saw a chiropractor/massage therapist who was able to work out all the issues causing my knee to pull funny.  That took about a week.  I just wish I would have gone one week earlier.  Then I would have been able to do the Halloween race.

Met up with some friends at Marie's house.  Ran a 5 mile loop then back home.  avg around 7:45 pace.  My knee hurt some off and on, so not quite as good as yesterday. 

8 miles average 6:46 pace.  I was breathing hard and feeling really tired thinking about how out of shape I must be until I realized how fast I was going, then I wanted to see if I could keep it up.  I was supper tired the last mile.

My knee felt good.  It started to hurt some around mile 2, but after I stretched and rubbed it a little it felt fine again.  I stretched three times on the run.  I think it hurt so much yesterday because I went first thing in the morning.  First thing this morning it hurt too, but by the time I went at 10:00 a.m. it was warmed up and stretched out enough that I was ok.

Met at Amanda's house with Marie and Desiree for 5 1/2 miles at 7:36 avg.  My knee hurt a little at the start but felt better after stretching.  It felt better than Wednesday and I can bend my knee more so that was encouraging.

10 miles by myself from my house to Bridal Vale Falls and back.  My legs felt tired from my run on Thursday.  Up pace avg 7:36, down avg 6:50, total avg 7:13.  It feels so good to be able to run 10 miles again.  

I did yard work for a few hours with my kids as it felt like spring outside, then my husband and I put up the Christmas lights in the afternoon.  I wanted to do it before it got cold and became a miserable job.  This was the earliest we've put them up, but I didn't even need a jacket! 

6.5 miles @ 7:35 pace with Marie, Amanda, Rebecca and Desiree

10 miles from my house out past Timp View High School and back.  This is my hilly run. 3 up's and 2 down's on the way out and 2 up's and 3 down's on the way back.  10 miles used to feel short, but now it feels a little long, not mentally, but my body starts to feel tired the last couple of miles.  Avg 7:06 pace.

8 miles along Univ Ave towards Provo.  This was my fast day.  I was breathing pretty hard, but felt a little better than when I did this same run last week.  Avg 6:43. 

6 miles with Amanda and Marie @ 7:25 pace.  I was tired coming up the big hill at mile 5 and that last flat mile to Amanda's house.  It takes me a couple of days to recover from a hard run like I did yesterday.

6 miles late morning with Mark at about 7:30 pace

7 miles with Marie, Amanda, Rebecca & Desiree at about 7:43 pace. 

9 miles mostly with Amanda @ 7:20 pace

This was a stupid run.  I felt like running a nice downhill so I figured I should run some up first.  I headed out past the Orem cemetary, where I stopped at my dad's grave, towards north Orem/Lindon area into the neighborhoods near the mountain.  I ran 4 miles with big ups, and small gradual downs, etc.  It was exhausting, the downs weren't enough to recover from the ups.  When I stopped I was right where the houses meet the mountain with a great view of the valley.  Then I headed back and the small gradual downs were ups and the ups were quad pounding, hold yourself back downs.  Coming back didn't feel much easier than going out.  I won't go that way again unless I feel like a hard hill run.  Avg 7:26

7 miles with Amanda and Marie. Avg 7:17 pace

10 miles, six with Marie. Avg 7:11 pace.  Wished I was doing the Mesquite Marathon and thought about all those who were.

7 miles easy in the morning with friends.

7 miles easy in the morning with friends.

Thanksgiving 4 mile race.  It was only 3 degrees outside.  I did no warm up and had no motivation.  Time 25:55, avg 6:29 pace.  But I got a turkey for being 3rd. 

My daugher who is 4 won her race and was pretty excited about her turkey.  She carried it over to her grandma's house (2 doors away) to show her and wanted to take it with us to Salt Lake to show her other grandma.  We left it in the freezer but later realized it was so cold outside we could have left it in the car and it would have been fine. 

4  miles on treadmill.  Felt like I hadn't done anything afterward.  Oh well, I guess I burned a few of those Thanksgiving calories.

9 miles, part with Marie.  I was going to go 10, but after dropping my friend off, I just headed home.  Motivation problem.

6.5 miles early with friends.

8 miles while kids in school.  Avg pace 7:05, so that wasn't too bad.  I should have done 10, but it was only 14 degrees outside and that hurt my motivation.

7 miles early with friends.

7 miles early with friends.

10 miles up Provo Canyon with Marie and Amanda.  It felt good to go 10 miles again and to go up the canyon. 

8 miles while kids in school.  Avg 7:06 pace.

7 miles while kids in school.  Avg 7 min pace.

4 miles

10 miles part with Marie and the rest with her friend Diana. Avg 7:20 pace.

4 miles on treadmill.  The alarm went off at 5:40 a.m. because I was going to go early with my friends, but I was way too tired.  I turned it off and stayed in bed until 8:00 a.m.  Even then I could hardly get up.  It sure helped though since I've been fighting a head cold. 

10 miles while kids at school.  Ran out past Timpview High School and back.  Avg 7:07 pace. 

6 miles avg 7:08 pace.  I wanted to go 10 again, that was before I left the house, but the 20 degree temperature sucked all the motivation out of me around mile 1 and I settled for 6.   

7 miles with Marie @ 7:29 pace

9 miles with Marie and Amanda, and part with Rebecca.  9 miles in the slush!  My clothes were so wet they weighed over 5 lbs. when I got home.  Yes, I weighed them!

6 miles with Marie.  Don't know the pace because my battery went out.  I was tired though. 

8 miles with Rebecca, Marie and Amanda.  8 miles in 4 inches of fresh snow, not as bad as Saturday though.

4 miles with my brother Mark.  Avg 7:59 pace.  He hasn't run much since Halloween.

7 miles with Amanda, Marie and some college girls.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon with Marie and two college girls. Avg 7:20 pace. The weather was great and the path was clear! This was a good run. I love 10 milers.

6 miles with Marie and Rebecca. Avg 7:36 pace

6 miles with Marie, Rebecca and two of it with Melody.  We ran into Melody on the street and finished up her run with her.  It was fun to see Melody again.  This was sort of a haphazard run.  I initially wanted to go 10, but didn't feel like doing more after other people were done.  I'm on a break from feeling like I "need" to do anything for about four more days, until the new year. 

4 miles on my treadmill.  1 mile warm-up, 1 mile @ 6:18, 1/2 mile slow, 1 mile @ 6:18, 1/2 mile slow.  Felt good to move the legs faster, although on a treadmill it wasn't really hard.

6 miles with marie & amanda

11 cold and snowy miles with Marie and Danielle.  Avg 7:38.  The snow and ice prevented us from going faster.  I pulled out the big ski gloves for this one and my hands were toasty warm.  Great way to end the year.