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

Woke up feeling like I'm coming down with a cold, runny, stuffy nose, etc.  I didn't get enough sleep the last few nights.  It was 1 degree outside, so that took all appeal away from going out for an easy run.  Could have done treadmill but didn't. 

7.5 miles with Marie, Amanda & Rebecca

10 miles, south on Univ Ave and back.  Avg 7:13 pace. 23degrees when I left and 32 when I got back.  After the single digits 32 feels pretty good.

10 miles out past Timpview High School and back Avg 6:56 pace.  I felt surprisingly well, especially after how hard I ran Tuesday.  I think it's because I took a nap Tues and got 8 hours of sleep the last several nights.  One of my goals for the new year is to sleep more.  It's part of my eat better, sleep better, feel better goal. 

5 miles with Amanda, Rebecca and Marie

10 miles with Amanda and Rebecca avg 7:38 pace

4 miles on my treadmill

10 miles on my treadmill.  Avg 6:48 pace.  Running on the treadmill is so much easier than the road.  The time went really quick because I watched a movie too.

10 miles avg 7:02 pace.  Timpview Highschool route.  30 degrees at start and 37 at finish with sunshine the whole way!  Great day for a run.

6 miles easy with friends.

12 miles with Marie & Danielle.  I think we averaged about 7:35 pace.  I haven't gone over 10 since September so this was good for me.

4 miles easy by myself around 7 a.m.  It felt like the perfect morning for running, 37 degrees with clouds and a rainy wet road, seemed warm to me.  

10 miles avg 6:57 pace.  My arms and legs felt disproportionately tired to how hard I was breathing.  I felt stiff and heavy.  I stopped once to stretch and that only helped a little bit.  I guess I need more of the magical "cure all," sleep!  A little yoga would help too.

10 miles south to Orem Center Street, up Univ Ave and into Provo Canyon then back home the same way.  Avg pace 6:48, breathing hard but my body felt great, way better than Tuesday's run.

6 miles with Marie, Amanda & Rebecca.  Avg 7:30 pace, felt really tired.

10 miles with Marie and Amanda.  Avg 7:16 pace. 

Last night we did a total dejunking (is that a word?) of my boys bed room and closet.  They share a room and the floor has been a mess since Christmas.  With the exception of one afternoon when I picked everything up and put it on their beds so I could vacuume.  That night it all just went back onto the floor.  Very frustrating.    

This afternoon we tackled the toy room, which is basically a room with a couch, TV and Legos everywhere.  The floor was so covered they got out the Lincoln Logs in their bed room last week.  A bunch of stuff went into the trash and I have a pile for the DI.  I told them, "If you throw it away you'll never have to clean it up again!"  I was pleased they were actually willing to part with quite a lot, just none of the Legos.  At one point I asked my son if he wanted to keep something and he said, "I didn't know where that was."  It was on the floor in the middle of the toy room, but the room was such a mess he couldn't see it!

Just so people don't start imagining scenes from "Horders," the rest of my house is actually very consistently clean.  Time to work on pine wood derby cars.

5 miles with Marie, Amanda & Rebecca. Avg about 7:30 pace

10 miles in a snow storm, avg 7:22 pace.  Last night when my husband turned on the news and asked me if I wanted to see the weather I believe I said, "No, I saw it this morning.  I know what they're going to say.  It's the same all week, low 27, high 40.  There's no storms coming."  Were they wrong or what?!  The 1 1/2 hour snow storm started about 3 miles into my run and there was about an inch on the ground by the time I finished.  I called my husband on my cell phone at about mile 7 as I thought he would think it was funny I was out running in a blizzard given my comments the night before.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  Avg 7:01 pace.

4 miles with Marie and Amanda. 

12 miles with Danielle.  Avg 7:32 pace

8 miles with Marie, Rebecca and Amanda.  Avg 7:36 pace

4 easy miles on my treadmill.  avg 7:03 pace.  It is 14 degrees outside and I just didn't want to face the cold.  I'm so sick of winter!  I've done 14 degrees before, but the wind is blowing today so it feels more like single digits to me.  I also have so many other things to do today.  This will be an easy week I guess.

4 miles easy on my treadmill.

5 miles easy.

14 miles total, but not as impressive as it sounds.  I went on a 7 mile trail run with several people.  I planned to run 7 miles home with a friend, but she didn't come.  I was going to go 14 for her, but for me 10 was fine.  I definately wanted more than 7, especially after my pitiful runs Tues & Thurs.  So after standing at the park for 10 minutes I got a ride part way then hopped out 3 miles from  home.  I was freezing after I got out of the car and started thinking things like, "Maybe I should have just gone home, I probably don't really need this last 3 miles etc."  Then I realized, "The car is gone.  It makes no difference what you think now.  You're three miles from home and the only way to get there is to run, so just enjoy it."  After about 3/4 a mile I felt good again and enjoyed the run home.  Later that afternoon my brother called and asked if I wanted to run 4 miles with him.  I couldn't think of a reason why not so I put back on my wet running shoes and did another 4.  So my 14 was more like a 7 mile run, then a 3 mile run, then a 4 mile run. 

8 miles with Marie and Amanda, avg 7:21 pace.

10 miles avg 7:14 pace.  Had a hard time making myself walk out the door in 23 degrees with wind, but it wasn't too bad once I got going.

10 miles at 6 a.m. part with Marie and Amanda.  Avg 7:14 pace.  Nice to get it done early and have someone to meet so I didn't think too much about the cold.

6 miles with Marie and Amanda

11 miles part trail run with some Sojourner runners.  I don't like trails.  I twisted my ankle a few times and jared my back.  My siatic hurt the rest of the day and all day Sunday.  I had my boys (age 9 and 7) dig into my hip and back with their elbows and pull on my leg Sunday morning.  That helped a little.  Sunday night my husband massaged me realy good.  I feel much better Monday, but it was frustrating to be in so much pain for two days.  I won't be doing a trail run next week.

5 miles with Marie and Amanda.

10 miles out past Timpview Highschool and back.  Avg 7:00 pace.

10 miles mostly with Marie and Amanda.  Avg 7:14 pace

6 miles with Marie and Amanda.  Avg 7:23

10 miles avg 7:26.  This included a mile long hill 10 min pace going up but only 6:40 pace coming down.  The rest of the run averaged 7:12 pace.

7 miles with Marie and Amanda.  Avg 7:19 pace.  I felt really tired. 

A few hours later I fell asleep listening to my son read.  Lights on 10 a.m. and I was falling asleep!

Slept until 7 a.m. and ran while the kids were at school/daughter at preschool.  10 miles south on Univ Ave and back.  Avg 6:56 pace.  Still feel a little tired.

10 miles in the dark.  My friends didn't show up!  Avg 7:00 pace.

6 miles with Marie and Amanda

10 miles in the snow with my husband on his bike.  I was really hoping for good weather on this run, but it didn't happen.  This was my birthday weekend!  I'm 38 now.

On my birthday my almost 5 year old daughter said, "Happy Birthday mom.  You're 28 right?"  I said, "38.  Does that seem old?"  She said, "Ya, but at least you don't look older than before."  I asked what she meant by before and she said, "Yesterday, when you were 37."

5 miles avg 7:37 pace

10 miles avg 7:01 pace

6 miles avg 7:27 pace

6 miles with Marie and Amanda avg 7:10 pace

15.5 miles with Danielle.  She's training for Boston.  Avg 7:41 pace.  It seemed a little slow, but I suppose that's why I felt just fine after 15 miles even though I haven't gone more than 10 or 11 in months.

5 miles with Amanda and Rebecca avg 7:41 pace

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon Avg 6:51 pace.

10 miles, 7 with Marie, avg 7:05 pace.  My legs were still really tired from my run on Tuesday.  We were also talking the whole time.

4 miles with Marie and Rebecca.

17 miles with Melanie, Kim and Jane.  Started at Nun's Park, ran down Provo Canyon along Univ Ave to Provo Town Center and out towards Utah Lake.  Avg 7:13 pace.  This was a fun run and I felt better than I thought I would bumping up my miles this much.  Thanks ladies!

5.5 miles with Marie and Rebecca avg 7:40 pace. Something's wrong with my blog. All my entries after this date aren't posting. Does anyone know how to fix this? I'm pushing "Publish & to Calandar."

12 miles up/down Provo Canyon. Did 6 x 1 mile with 1/2 mile recovery.  First three up the canyon, 6:24 (stopped to visit with Jose at the start of this one), 6:38, 6:44 (felt like I might throw-up).  The next three were down the canyon, 6:05, 6:10, 6:10.  I felt a lot better on the last three.  My average for the whole run was 6:57 pace, but I stopped my watch several times to drink, pee, stand there so I wouldn't pass out etc.  I didn't feel like doing speed work, but I'm glad I did.  I hadn't done any since I ran with Melody last summer.  I also tested my pepper spray and it shot out surprisingly far, maybe 6 feet.

9 miles avg 7:18 pace. Ran 1 mile to Marie's house, 7 miles with her, and 1 mile home. I was going to go 10 but I felt supper tired so I cut it short.

5.5 miles with Amanda avg 7:36 pace.

18 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:08 pace.

I ran 4 miles with Marie, Amanda and Rebecca, then Amanda and Rebecca turned around.  Marie and I kept going up another mile and back home for 6 more.  I met my husband at home and he went back up/down the canyon with me for another 8 miles.

4.5 miles @8:04 pace.  My lack of sleep the last few nights has caught up to me and I'm getting a head cold!

8 miles @ 7:00 pace.  I would have gone 10, but didn't have the time and also thought it would be better for me to do less since I'm a little sick.

8 miles, slower than Tuesday.  Still sick.

6 miles with Marie and Amanda, avg 7:35 pace.  I was about to text them saying I wasn't running when I got the message they were coming to my house.  I couldn't believe how bad I felt.  My whole body was weak and tired.  My legs ached like the end of a marathon after only 3 miles.  At one point I said, "I would ask to slow down, but we're not even going fast!"  I truely wanted to walk home after only 4 1/2 miles.  I had a nap later that morning.  I've needed a nap every day for a week now, and finally got one.

Got to bed early the night before thinking I could maybe do a run today.  Woke up at 6:00 a.m., thought about how bad I felt the day before and how cold it was and went back to bed.  Slept until 9:00 a.m.  I showered, sat in my office visiting with my uncle and helping him with his tax return for a few hours, ate lunch and watched a few minutes of TV, then took a nap for two hours.  I was still tired when I went to bed at night.  I'm not running again until I feel better. 

Slept a lot on Sunday and slept in again today.  This was the first day I didn't need a decongestant.  I feel like I'm almost better.  I wish I could have slept earlier in the week like I did over the weekend.

I went to bed last night thinking I would run today while my kids were at school.  But I woke up feeling sick again!  This is so frustrating.

Yesterday I got my kids off to school then went back to bed, ate lunch, took another nap.  My throat and ears started hurting so I called the doctor in the afternoon.  Luckily I got in and now have some antibiotics.  They couldn't kick in fast enough though.  Both my ears were really hurting by the time my son's soccer practice ended and I needed to get dinner for everyone.  It was a "eat whatever you can find in the fridge" kind of dinner.  Feeling a little better today.

6 miles on trails with Marie and Rebecca. I hate trails. I always twist my ankles or iritate my Achilles. I told Marie and Rebecca "every time I do them I swear I'll never do them again." When they commented on how beautiful it was I said, "All I ever see is the ground and the rocks I'm trying not to step on!" I was happy to just be out and running again. I'm feeling significantly better.

3 miles on my treadmill. I set my alarm to get up and meet Marie and Rebecca, but when I went off I was tired and it was in the 20's outside with snow on the ground.  

8 miles avg 7:27. Ran 4 miles with Rebecca and 4 more by myself. It was nice to finally do a normal run and feel ok again. It seems like it's been two weeks since I really ran. Saturday's trail run had a lot of hills and stops, Monday's treadmill run was pitiful. Tuesday my day was so packed I didn't run at all. 5:45 a.m. was my only time and I thought I still needed sleep more. Wednesday was like Tuesday. Today's the same, but I feel good enough now to get up at 5:45 a.m. again. I like getting up early.

4 miles in the slushy snow.  I can't wait for spring weather.  Avg 7:06

17.5 with Melanie, Kim and Jane in 32 degrees and slushy snow.  Avg 7:16 pace.  With 3 miles to go we headed under the road on a running path into 6 or 8 inches of water.  I took two steps into it before I realized what was going on, two more steps to stop and turn around, four steps to get out, etc.  My feet and legs were soaked to my knees.  I felt tight the last three miles and was really tired the last mile. 

On vacation in AZ at my sister's house in Tucson.  Ran 4 miles with my husband on a bike.  Avg 7:21.  So nice to wear shorts again!

8 miles avg 7:12 pace.  My husband came with me on the bike again.  He got a flat tire about 1 mile from home.  Luckily it wasn't 4 miles from home.

8 miles with Burt!  Yes, I actually got to meet the most entertaining person on the blog.  Burt and I ran from his house to the Mesa Temple and back.  There really was someone there sitting in the front row of the pageant seats at 6:30 a.m.  I can't figure out how to attach our temple pictures.  I'll just send them to Burt.

The weather was great.  When I left Orem on Saturday it was snowing.  When snow's falling I rarely think of sunscreen, so yes, in response to the comments on Burt's blog, that is sun burn on my nose.   

I had a nice visit with Burt's wife for 20 or 30 minutes after our run.  She's great.  As I got in the car to leave I realized I'd been gone for a while.  I called my husband to tell him I was on my way home so he wouldn't be worried about me.  He said, "Why would I be worried?  You just went running with some guy you met on the Internet."  It wasn't like me, but I had a great time, met some great people and lived to tell about it!

5 miles with Burt avg 7:46 pace.  This time we ran a loop.  When I told my boys I ran with Burt one of them said, "Does he live with Ernie?" and the other said, "Ya, ask him if he has a brother named Ernie?"  Oh, the things 8 and 10 year olds think are funny. 

Thanks for running with me Burt!  

Decided to sleep in and run later.  I ran 5 miles home from my son's soccer game at 10:00 a.m. then my husband came on the bike with me for another 7.  My avg was 7:11 pace, which I was happy with especially since the run was more uphill than down the first 5 miles coming home from the soccer fields at the lake.  I was going to go 16, but my stomach felt sick on account of the Burger King hamburger I ate the night before while driving home from AZ.  Or perhaps it was from all the pink and white animal cookies.  I hadn't had those in years!

6 miles with Marie avg 7:16 pace.

12 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 6:58 pace. It was raining a little and I was cold when I turned around. I'm so ready for warmer weather, I was spoiled in AZ last week.

10 miles up/down provo canyon avg 6:58 pace.

I was supper tired this morning.  4 miles avg 7:25 pace.  Started feeling like I might get sick again in the afternoon, so I had a nap from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. then got ready for bed and went to bed at 10:30 p.m.  I felt tons better the next morning. 

20 miles.  It's amazing what sleep will do.  I headed out at 6:30 a.m. and ran up Provo Canyon to Vivian Park then down the canyon and to the Lakeside soccer fields by Utah Lake.  The first 5 miles were the hardest, most uphill and strong head wind.  Then the wind died down and it wasn't so steep.  Coming down and heading to the lake was great.  Avg 7:09 pace.  This run had an overall elevation drop.  I got really cold watching my son's soccer game though because I was sweaty.

10 miles.  I still felt a little sore from my long run Saturday.  I would normally go only 4 miles today, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to get in any run Tues and maybe not Wed either.  Avg 7:13 pace.

4 miles avg 7:30 pace

12 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:00 pace.  On my way down a bunch of Army guys were doing a timed run.  They started right before I reached them.  I passed about 3/4 of them, then stopped to get a drink and passed them again.  One guy said, "You're lapping me twice" and I said, "That's why I stopped to get a drink."  Another said, "You're making me feel like I'm not doing too well," and I said, "My husband can't keep up with me either."  I think they were doing a 2 mile run.  I passed the leader 1/4 mile before the end and he sprinted to pass me at their finish.  I obviously didn't care enough to speed up.  I cheered for him as he went by and said, "What do I get for second!"  I was their comic relief.  I tried not to run faster to pass them all, but looking back at my splits, those were my fastest miles.

4 miles avg 7:30 pace.  Tired from my long hard run yesterday.

20 miles avg 7:19 pace up/down Provo Canyon in a snow storm!  The weather was stupid all April, but now it's rediculous.  I met Marie and a bunch of Sojourner runners at the Bridal Vale parking lot about 4 miles into my run.  I ran up with them 4 miles and back to their cars then kept running home.  When I got to the canyon parking lot where I left my Gatoraide a mile from home at mile 16 of my run I wanted to quit.  I was so tired, but I headed back up another 1 1/2 miles and back home to make it a full 20.  Fortunately my level of exhaustion remained the same and I didn't feel any worse at mile 20.  I got home just after 9:00 a.m. and laid down for a 1 1/2 hour nap at 11:00 a.m.  I had a hard time pulling myself out of bed.

5 miles with Marie and Rebecca avg 7:46

12 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 6:59 pace.  This was the same run I did Thursday.  It felt a little easier than Thursday running about the same pace, so that was good.  I think my stops were a little shorter too.

I felt great after my run on Tuesday and was all excited to do a hard hill workout today.  That was until late in the afternoon when I pulled my quad.  I hurried into the bathroom with my daughter and squatted down to help her take off her multi layerd dance costume while she was already in the process of peeing her pants.  When the excitement was over I realized the pain in my quad. 

I always try to be careful on the day of a long run for that very reason, but the pee was coming out! and we were away from home!  She just turned 5 and has never peed her pants away from home before.  To make matters worse I had just taken the "emergency" underwear and pants out of the car three weeks earlier.  I had them in there for 2 years and never needed them, until now. 

I figure if my quad still hurts to walk I better not run.  I really want to go long on Saturday, so I'm hoping to be better by then.

20 miles avg 7:16 pace. After several days off my quad felt much better. I ran from my house up Provo Canyon/South Fork and back. I saw runners gathering at the start of the Provo City Marathon on my way up, but they were gone on my way back. I passed the slower runners all the way down the canyon.  I left my son's baseball game a few minutes early to go to the finish to see Melanie, Kim and Jane.  That was fun.   

4 miles avg 7:25 pace in the rain.  I found out I got into the St. George Marathon this year!  Yea! I'm so excited.  It's been a long time since I did that one.  Last year I was registered then injured my knee a week before the race when I tripped over a rock in the dark and fell.  This year I'm determined to make it to the starting line healthy.  But St. George is a ways off, I've got the Utah Valley Marathon and Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon, and probably a few other things before then.

12 miles average 7:03 pace.  I got up at 5:30 a.m. to run because I had a girls camp meeting during my daughters preschool.  12 miles in Provo Canyon and I only saw 1 biker and 2 runners.  I guess the storms yesterday scared everyone away from setting their alarms when they went to bed,  but they missed out.  It was wet and cloudy, but not too cold or rainy, perfect running weather.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 6:52 pace.  My body felt good, like I was well rested.  I also ate a good breakfast two hours before.  I was sure breathing hard though.  By the end my legs were pretty tired too.  My quad started to bother me a little the last two miles.  I better rub it out.  I was well rested two hours ago, but now I feel like I need a nap.

4 miles avg 7:22 pace. My right quad hurts a little.  Last week it was my left.  This one started hurting me yesterday right on top and I rubbed it out really good, now it hurts more in the inside.  I guess I should be glad it's not the same place.

20 miles up/down Provo Canyon with my husband, Brent.  I was worried about the run when we started because my quad hurt me so much yesterday.  I only had minimal pain off and on going up.  Coming 3 miles down South Fork after we turned around it felt disproportionately tired to the rest of my body, like the quad was on mile 20-23 when the rest of me was only on 10-13 miles. 

I took it easy coming down South Fork, which felt really good.  I told my husband, "Sometimes I feel like I'm going for a ride in my body when I'm running."

Fortuneately the tiredness in my quad didn't get any worse and the pain even lessened further down the path.  By the last two miles the rest of my body seemed about as tired as my quad.  My avg up 7:31 pace, down 6:49, total avgt 7:10 pace.

3 slow miles with aches and pains

10 miles avg 7:25 pace.  Trying to go easy this week to get my quads all better.  Felt good this day.

10 miles avg 7:02 pace in the rain. My toes were numb the whole time.

4 miles at 7:22 pace. In the rain again.

20 miles up/down Provo Canyon/South Fork with my husband on his bike.  I was happy to not  be so nervous about my quad starting out the run.  I felt really good until about 6 miles from the end when my left Achilles started hurting.  I stopped to rub out my calf, two miles later I stopped to rub out my hamstring, then two miles later I stopped again to rub on my back.  The Achilles never got feeling better and it hurts to even walk now!  Ahh!  I don't know what I'm going to do.  My avg was 7:05 pace, so that was good.

4 miles avg 7:01 pace.  I could hardly walk after my run Sat because my Achilles hurt so much.  I rubbed myself for a while then got a massage from a girl in my neighborhood who is a massage therapist.  I iced my Achilles and took Ibuprofin before I went to bed Sat.  Sunday it felt much better.  Today it only hurt a tiny bit on a 4 mile run.  My left but/hamstring/calf still feels a little tight, but the rest of me felt better than I usually feel on a Monday after a 20 mile run. 

I think I caused this problem on Thursday when I was pulling weeds.  The ground was so wet I couldn't resist the temptation to get rid of a few of them.  It was right after my run so I was all dirty anyway from running in the rain.  I didn't want to strain my quad more because I've been having issues there so I was bending over funny to get the weeds, favoring my left quad, etc.

I think a good solution to my problems would be not do any yard work or any other work, only run, eat, sleep, and get massaged, oh and a little TV would hurt.

10 miles, but I stopped about every 2 miles to stretch.  Still having some problems with my left Achilles/ankle.  Avg 6:53 pace.

8 miles avg 7:05 pace.  Still pain in my left ankle.  I got a massage later in the morning so hopefully that will help.  The rest of my body sure feels good. 

3 miles avg 7:25 pace.  It was nice to finally not hurt while running.  This whole week was painful.  I think I finally got the tight spots rubbed out enough to be able to function properly.

17 miles with Brent up/down Provo Canyon/South Fork.  Avg 7:15 pace.  I was going to go 20 and run home past my house to end at the baseball fields three miles away, but cut it short and stopped at home. 

I ran pain free for about 13 miles.  Then I started having a little pain in the inside of my left leg, down by my ankle.  This hurt me a lot Tues/Thurs.  I rubbed out a spot clear up on the inside of my leg at the top of my quad right by my but to fix this problem.  I was supper tired from not enough sleep and started running sloppy.  I kicked myself right where it was already starting to hurt.  The spot was still a little swolen and tender from earlier in the week.  The kick hurt so bad and it bothered me the whole last 4 miles. 

I'm still a little nervous about how my body will hold up for the UV Marathon.  I think if I can finish working out all my tight spots so I don't have any injury pains, and sleep good so I feel well rested I can have a very enjoyable and fast race. 

Didn't run this day.  I woke up feeling supper tired and with a little bit of a sore throat. 

I rode my bike to the cemetery with my husband and kids.  It wasn't raining when we left, but we sure got got in a storm on the way home, pelted with rain and hail. 

We visited my dad's grave and I told the kids the stom was just what we needed to remember the trip.  My dad always said, "If we don't suffer enough we won't remember it."  I think that saying is very applicable to marathon running.  No one forgets the most painful miles.

I woke up feeling a lot better this morning.  Ran 10 miles with my 5 year old daughter in the running stroller.  Avg 7:48 pace.  We headed up Provo Canyon but turned around early and headed back the other way on the trail when we encountered an animal.  At first I thought it might be a small bear on the path ahead of us.  Of course a baby bear is usually accompanied by a mother bear so I stopped.  After a few seconds I realized it was not a bear, but a dog, that looked a lot like a baby bear from my distance and angle.  My daughter said, "Can we turn around?"  So we turned around.  We spent a mile talking about the dog, then 5 miles later she said, "Are you still thinking about the dog?"  Apparently she was.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon with my daughter in the stroller. We didn't see any animals this time, and made it all the way to the water fall. I was thinking about only going 8, but my daughter wanted to see Bridal Vail Falls and that is a 10 mile run. Nice weather today. Avg 7:52 pace.

Didn't run on Friday. I started feeling a litte sick again. Nothing too terrible, but my throat hurt, so I slept as long as I could, which still wasn't long enough.This was the last day of school and the kids only went for 1 hr 45 min.  How rediculous is that!  I hurried to the grocery store while they were gone. 

The afternoon was crazy!  Our cul-de-sac was full of kids all day, in and out of the house, coming and going etc.  About 15 kids at all times.  And they were supper hyped up because school was out.  Had to take my son to two parties.  Napping was not possible.  I think I will make a sign to put on my door to keep people out when I want to take a nap in the summer.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon with my husband.  I woke up at 5:00 a.m. because I had a dream that my mom was telling me I should have another baby, that I was going to be one of those people who have a kid 10 years younger than the others etc.  That's always been a fear of mine.  I laid in bed thinking about that for over an hour before getting up at 6:15 a.m.  I have 4 sisters/sister-in-laws that are pregnant, one's having twins.  I had difficult pregnancies, throw-up/dry-heave the whole 9 months etc.  I still think I'm done having kids. 

In the afternoon we had an awesome party for my son's 8th birthday. We borrowed a big blow-up water slide and made a huge slip'n slide out of tarps.  The chocolate cake I made from scratch was sooo yumy!  It was 2 hours of preparation and clean up for a two hour party though. 

In the evening my husband and I went to the temple to do sealings.  Sitting in the sealing room I realized how tired I was and wished I could go to a room in the temple to take a nap.  Wouldn't that be nice? 

Didn't run today.  Sunday I woke up with a supper sore throat and realized my sinuses were draining back there causing the problem.  The flap that hangs down from the top of your mouth in the back was swollen up like it had a blister on it.  I felt like I had something in my throat every time I swollowed.  I've never had that before.  It was very strange.  Fortunately it's better now.  I had a little nap in the afternoon and took a sleep aid when I went to bed at 10:30 a.m. 

I got up at 6:20 a.m. this morning to pack lunches and send my boys off to a scout day camp.  At 6:50 I got back in bed and didn't get up until 9:45 a.m.  After almost 11 hours in bed I felt significantly better.  I took a decongestnat on Sunday, but today I don't feel like I need one.

4 miles easy.  I feel like I don't know how to run after taking three days off and spending so much time in bed.  I was breathing harder than I usually do for the pace I was running.  I'm still not healthy.  My throat really hurts.

I went to the doctor and got on an antibiotic for a sinus infection.  It wasn't my typical sinus problem.  I wasn't very stuffy and my nose didn't run,  but my sinuses kept draining down the back of my throat making it sore.  I just feel off.

It must have been a sinus infection because after taking an antibiotic my sinuses are improving and my throat hurt a lot less this morning.  I hope I feel good tomorrow for the Utah Valley Marathon.  There's one thing I know and that is I certainly didn't train too much this week.  4 pitiful miles!  I feel like I don't know how to run anymore.  Running across the park at my son's baseball game the other night made me tired.  I thought, "How can I expect to run 26 miles on Saturday when I'm breathing this hard running across the park!"  I will definately be starting out slow.

I ran the Utah Valley Marathon this morning.  I think I was in shape to run around 3 hours, so 3:12 was a disappointment. 

Last night my 5 year old daughter started throwing up at 9:00 p.m.  She threw up about every 30 or 40 min  until 2:30 a.m.  We had her on the floor in our room so we could help her and my husband got up with her, but I couldn't sleep.  At 11:30 p.m. I went into her room, but still couldn't sleep.  I could hear her from upstairs.  At 1:30 a.m. he went to the store for medicine and I got back in my bed.  Her last throw-up/dry heave was at 2:35 a.m.  I was able to doze for about 20 min somewhere between then and 3:20 a.m. when I got out of bed.

I thought of my dad who had a difficult time sleeping before a marathon once and thought someone will ask him how the race went and he'd say, "I lost."  He imagined them asking "when?" and his reponse would be, "In bed the night before!"

I seriously considered not running, but thought, "I'm not sleeping anyway so I might as well go run."

I wasn't breathing hard, but my body was so tired.  At mile 13 I thought, "I'm running slower than my 20 mile training runs and I feel worse at mile 13 than I ever did at mile 20."  At mile 15 I stopped to stretch and contemplated quitting when I saw my husband with my kids.  But did I want to send a message to my kids that it's ok to quit?  I was also in 6th place and who ever quits when they're in the top ten?  My time wasn't that bad, it just wasn't what I wanted.  At that point I had about a 7 min avg going, but it was just so painful!

Fortunately, at mile 16 or so, my friend Rebecca came by on her bike and stayed with me for about 5 miles.  She talked to me and that really helped get my mind off the pain.  I also saw my husband with my kids around mile 18 and again around mile 20.  I stopped to say hi and stretch for a few seconds when I saw them. At this point I also walked pretty slowly and stretched at every water stop.  Rebecca left me around mile 21 and my husband drove by again with the kids.  At mile 22 my brother Mark jumped out of his car and ran with me for 2 miles.  That really helped also.  His wife drove down the street and picked him up.  When I left him I had only 2 miles to go. 

So I finished, but it wasn't pretty.  I'm running St. George because I'm already registered and that might be it.  I'll start and end my marathon days with St. George.  It seems like I only enjoy 1 out of every 3 marathons and I'm just not sure the 1 I really like is worth the 2 I hate.  When my kids want to run them, I'll rethink my position.

Splits: 7:13 (mile 1), 6:32 (mile 2), 6:32 (mile 3), 6:49 (mile 4), 6:47 (mile 5), 6:45 (mile 6), 6:44 (mile 7), 7:17 (mile 8), 7:18 (mile 9), 6:39 (mile 10), 6:51 (mile 11), 7:18 (mile 12), 7:02 (mile 13), 6:55 (mile 14), 6:50 (mile 15), 8:13 (mile 16 - stretch), 7:04 (mile 17), 7:00 (mile 18), 6:57 (mile 19), 7:43 (mile 20), 7:23 (mile 21), 8:20 (mile 22), 8:52 (mile 23), 8:45 (mile 24), 8:34 (mile 25), 7:43 (mile 26), 7:21 pace (last .33).

Ran about 1 mile with my son through Riverside Park in New York City.  We were there on vacation staying with family in New Jersey.  I was surprised by how good I felt in that I wasn't sore from my race.  I know I didn't go out too fast because when I do that I'm really sore afterwards.  Or could it be that I never rested long enough for the soreness to set in.  I only got 5 hrs of sleep Sat before getting up at 3:00 a.m. to fly to New York.  Sunday, the day after my race I was the tiredest (is that a word?) I've ever been in my life!  Sunday night I slept 12 hrs straight and felt like I could have slept more.  I woke up Monday feeling like a new person though and we had a great day seeing the Statue of Liberty! 

6 miles through my sister-in-law's neighborhood with my husband on a bike.  The humidity reminded me of when I lived in Kansas.  I wanted to go earlier in the week, but we were so busy doing so many fun things!  My husband and I left our kids with my sister-in-law while we saw Wicked, we all went to the Jersey Shore, saw the Today Show, the view from Rockefeller Building, Times Square, etc.  We also took a day trip to Phillidelphia to see the Liberty Bell, US Mint, the building/room where the Declaration of Independance and US Constitution were signed, and of course the famous stairs from the Rocky movies.  My 5 year old daughter's favorite part of the Phillidelphia trip was seeing the racoon run away from the garbage can as we pulled into my sister-in-law's driveway when we got home.  All she could talk about was how she saw a racoon.

4 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  It was nice to be home and after my Saturday run in humid New Jersey I really appreciated the dry Utah air.

8 miles @ 7:07 pace.  Got up at 4:45 a.m. to get in a run before heading to our church Young Women's Girl's Camp for the rest of the week.  I'm the Laurel's advisor and on the camp committee.  When I got home after my 8 miles I said to my husband, "I really needed that."  It was such a good run for me mentally.  To be away by myself for a few minutes, breath fresh air, and listen to the silence, or rather the wind in the trees.  I just wish I would have had time to go longer.  

10 miles through Orem and up Provo Canyon and back home, 7:07 pace.  I was too tired to get up early, but it was so hot when I went at 10:00 a.m. that I wished I would have anyway.  I slept pretty good the first two nights at Girls Camp, but the last night I stayed up past midnight cleaning up, and then a train came through right next to our camp ground waking me up every two hours, until I got up at 6:30 a.m. 

4 miles avg 7:11 pace. 

10 miles avg 7:16 pace.  I ran into Marie, Melody, Rebecca, Desiree, and Josse as I was starting and they were finishing.  I was just thinking yesterday how much I miss running with my friends.  I'm going to get up early to run with them later in the week.

Met Marie, Rebecca, Melody and Josse for a run.  It was so fun to visit with them again.  I ran from my house to meet up, did about 7 with them and ran back.  Marie and I ran a little faster than the others for part.  Avg 7: 20.

I felt like I was going to have a heart attack at my son's championship baseball game that night.  Tie game, extra innings, etc.  We were the home team and only needed one point to win for about three innings.  Finally bases loaded and my son's up to bat.  Thankfully only 1 out at this point or I would have really been a mess.  Well he got a hit, ran to base holding the bat over his head cheering, our man ran in and game over, his team took the championship!  My blood pressure was probably through the roof, my chest literally hurt afterwards.

I sacrificed my run in an effort to get the grocery shopping done.  I wanted to go on Monday, but my days have been so full.  It's rediculous that it took me until Friday.  My other son had a 3 x 3 soccer tournament in the afternoon.  As I sat there in the shade eating strawberries and bananas before the game I thought, "This is the life, sitting in the shade eating fruit," then a couple hours later when they played the best team in their group I felt almost like the night before, down by one, only a minute left to play, total anxiety, then score and tie game.  

Met Melanie B for a 15 mile run in Provo Canyon, Avg 7:15 pace.  We started running up from Nun's Park.  Uphill and into a fierce wind, my lungs were burning at an 8:30 pace.  We could hardly hear each other to have a conversation so we turned around after 1.5 miles and drove to the top so we could just run down.  After that first bit the run was really fun, then we iced in the river.  Melanie found a very shallow spot to sit.  Probably a place that is just flooded because the rivers so high and usually doesn't have water.

3 miles on hills at my in-laws cabin

10 miles.  Met Marie and Josse.  We ran together for about 4 miles then Marie and I went ahead for about 4 miles and met back up with Josse for the last two.  Avg 7:28 pace.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  I can feel that I lost some conditioning tapering for the marathon and then taking two weeks off.  My avg was 7:12 pace, but I was exhausted.  I felt like how I used to feel doing that run averaging sub 7's.  The last mile was the worst.  I stopped and stood there for a minute 1/2 way up the hill on 800 North about 3/4 mile from home.  Oh well.

4 miles @ 7:09 pace

21 miles, yes 21!.  I've never done more than 20 in a training run before.  I met Melanie B and Julie C at Bridal Vale Park and ran up Provo Canyon 10.5 miles and back.  Avg up 7:26, down 7:06, for a total 7:16 avg.  I felt good going up, but was really thirsty coming down.  We didn't drop enough water off for ourselves.  From about mile 12 to 18 all I could think about was the drinking fountain at Vivian Park.  When we stopped I literally drank a whole water bottle full of water.  I also took a gel even though I was almost done.  About a mile later I felt tons better and was able to do a 6:20 pace the last mile coming down the highway by Bridal Vale.  O was super tired later in the day though, and took a nap.

4 miles easy.

10 miles.  Met Marie, Rebecca, Josse and Desiree for a run.  Marie wanted 3 x 1 mile repeats.  I didn't want to go fast on account of the 21 miles I did Saturday and the Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon I'm doing in a few days.  Josse didn't want to go too fast either so we stayed together and watched the others go out ahead.  My legs are tired from Saturday.  I hope I recover enough to feel good on Saturday. 

8 miles avg 7:11 pace.  My legs still feel tired I guess from my long one last Saturday.  Hopefully I can sleep well the next two nights.  We're camping at Bryce Canyon the night before the 1/2 marathon, so I don't have real high expectations with that one.  The kids are excited though and my son needs to do a camping trip for scouts.

I ran the Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon today. My goal was to be as fast as last year, 1:23:43. I was pleased with that time a year ago. I've done enough long runs that I didn't think the distance would be a problem, but I haven't done any speed work in almost a year so I wasn't confident I would be able to pick up my pace.

We camped in a tent with our kids. They fell asleep in about a minute and I laid there forever. I think I have a sleeping problem. It took me a long time to go to sleep then I drempt a lot and woke up at least every hour. I heard some wild cats fighting and growling outside the tent, and had a hard time going back to sleep after that. For how little sleep I got I felt surprizingly well.

I printed off my splits on an old bib number and put it around my arm. I stuck right on those for the first four miles and let the main pack of women go out ahead. I didn't want to start too fast and make my lungs burn. I was in 7th the first 2 miles then passed two people, including Kim, around mile 5 to move into 4th. After mile 4 I started running my splits faster than last year. It took me a long time to catch Melanie B. We were together for a while around mile 8 and 9. I could also see the first two ladies along here. But at mile 11 they picked it up more than me and got out farther ahead. I finished 3rd, barely holding off Melanie and Kim. We were all in the 122's.

My splits were: 6:32,6:32,5:55,5:59,6:02,5:59,6:13,6:17,6:37,6:27,6:21,6:41,last .1 @6:26 pace.

I was pleased with my time. I got $300 and a good old fashioned trophy, gold with stone and columns and a statue of a girl running on top. You don't see those much any more.

After the race we hiked out to a waterfall and I iced my legs in the river. That felt really good!

2 miles @ 7:38 pace.  My quads are sore from the Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon.  I'm more sore after this 1/2 than I was after the Utah Valley Full Marathon.  I wasn't even sore after Utah Valley, I suppose because Iwas to tired to run fast enough to make myself sore.  Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

7 miles up/down Provo Canyon with Melody, Rebecca, Josse and Amber. Avg 7:40 pace. It was about 8:10 pace avg up and 7:10 pace down. My quads are still sore.

8 miles up/down Provo Canyon, avg 7:09 pace.  Quads felt tons better.  I only had one minor pain about 4 miles into the run.  I stopped to rub it out and decided to go 8 instead of 10.  It felt fine on the way down. 

3 miles avg 7:09 pace @ 10:30 a.m. in 79 degree heat.  I was dripping with sweat when I got home!  I don't know how Burt does it in the 90's, 79 probably seems cool to him.

20 miles, avg 7:24 pace with Melanie B, Julie C, Kim and Jane.  We made a loop around American Fork/Highland area.  It was about 17 miles of up, flat, up, flat and 3 miles of steep down, flat, steep down, flat.  The worst hill was at mile 16.  I wasn't mentally prepared for that one and complained a little, but overall I really enjoyed the run.  There's nothing better than getting up at 4:30 a.m. to run with friends.  Melanie said 20 milers are like a party and I agree.   

Unfortunately my back was tight and my right hamstring started hurting with a pinched nerve type pain about mile 11.  That  may have contributed to my complaining about the hills.  It felt worse and worse as the day went on, so I got my husband to rub my back really good that night and the next day I felt improvement.  I was worried about my quad at the start of the run and ended up with hamstring pain. 

4 miles avg 7:22 pace.  I slept in until 7:30 a.m and ran a loop by myself.  Last week I thought about running the Deseret News Marathon today, but decided not to because my quad was bothering me so much and it was supposed to be low 70 degrees and high 95 degrees today.  I didn't want to run a marathon in that kind of heat either, but it was cooler and cloudy so weather wise this actually would have been a great day for a race.  Maybe next year.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 6:55 pace, up @ 7:15, down @ 6:35.  I was tired afterwards.

16 mile run with Melanie B and Julie C.  We started at Vivian Park, 3 miles warm-up going up South Fork, then 12 miles down the canyon on the running trail @ 6:39 average, one mile cool down.  I think our 12 miles was supposed to be "marathon pace," but was actually a little faster.  I felt good, but wouldn't have kept that pace up for 14 more miles. 

5 miles with Melody avg 7:18 pace

15 miles downhill run avg 7:05 pace.  I Started at the top of South Fork Canyon with Rebecca and Melody.  The first 4 miles coming down South Fork were about a 7:15/7:20 pace, then we slowed to around 7:40.  About 4 1/2 miles into the run I started feeling weak and shaky, about a mile later I stopped to stretch and drink some Gatorade.  Melody and Rebecca kept running.  I then sped up and ran 4 or 5 miles around 6:40 pace coming down the Canyon.  When I hit University Ave I slowed to around 7's, and took a Gel pack but I still felt off.  At mile 12 I just wanted to quit.  I didn't feel right.  I headed for home and ended with 15 miles, I was initially going to run 16, my last 3 were around 7:20 pace.  Overall this was still a good training week.

5 miles avg 7:26.  Ran into an old friend from High School that I haven't seen in years!  We went about a mile together.  She just moved back to Utah.  She was a swimmer in High School, but runs now and was keeping up a pretty good pace. 

Ran 10 miles with 6 x 800 meter intervals with 3 min recovery in the middle.  Interval times, 3:04, 3:04, 3:02, 3:02, 3:02, 3:02.  I was supposed to be at 3 min, but since this is the first time I've done speed work in about a year I didn't want to go too fast and end up sore.  Felt good.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:11 pace.

3.5 miles avg 8:44 pace.  I asked my 5 year old daughter if she wanted to come with me in the stroller.  Then my 8 and 10 year old boys wanted to come on their bike/rollerblades.  We were almost to the drinking fountain up Provo Canyon where we planned to turn around for 4 miles when my 8 year old son on the bike stopped and started dry-heaving.  I put my daughter on his bike, too big for her, and my son in the stroller until we got to the canyon parking lot.  Then they switched back and he rode the rest of the way home. 

22 miles from my house up/down Provo Canyon/South Fork with Melanie B and Julie C.  We started out uphill and into the wind running too fast.  Going up South Fork I wondered if I would be able to make it back home.  At mile 10 with one more uphill mile to go I thought about stopping and waiting for them to go the last mile up and back.  Maybe if I rested for 15 minutes I would be able to make it 10 more miles.  But I kept going and after stretching at the top I felt a lot better on the downhill.  I also got a big drink of water at mile 13 and loaded up on Powerade at mile 15.  After that I had more energy and finished feeling a lot better than I did at mile 10.  I think my up average was 7:26, so my down must have been 6:46.

I went to my 20th high school reunion later in the day.  We had a picnic in the afternoon with our families and a dinner in the evening for the adults.  I can't believe it's been 20 years.  I was so tired when I went to bed, and still the next morning.  I'm usually really good about getting to church 5 or 10 minutes before it starts, but not this Sunday.  My husband was already there and I just kept sleeping after the alarm went off so the kids and I were about 40 minutes late!  

4 miles with my husband on his bike.  Avg 7:09 pace.  Another long day as my brother-in-law was getting married in Salt Lake.  It was long for me and I'm sure seemed even longer for our kids.  Our kids waited in the "youth room" at the Salt Lake temple while we attended the marriage.  Later my daughter said, "I thought the room in the temple would be really really reverent, but instead it was really loud."  There were lots of  kids there.  Then the pictures took a long time and the kids were getting bored.  We went to the Lion House for the lunch and of course there was a lot more waiting.  We got back to the grandparent's home at about 4:00 p.m. and they had less than 2 hours to play with their cousins before more pictures and a reception.  On the way home I asked the kids what their favorite part was and they all said being in the "youth room" at the temple.  I thought this would have been last on their list.

10 miles avg 7:19 pace.  I woke up feeling like I'm getting sick.  I've eaten too many sweets the last several days and not gotten enough sleep.  Time to fix that!

4 easy miles. 

I took my son to his pediatrician and also made a Dr. apointment for me.  We have ongoing problems with our sinuses, and we both get sick at the same time.  The doctor thinks we have allergies!  (That are causing sinus infections) I spent all day considering this as a possibility and I think he's right.  I went for 6 months all through the winter without problems (thought I was cured), then in March it all started up again. 

I thought about the times when I was sick and not sick.  It's always worse on Saturday's after my long runs (up the canyon around the weeds) and the only time I can remember not feeling like I was struggling with a stuffy/runny nose off and on was when I was on vacation and during the times when we had a lot of rain.  I think I felt so bad this week because Saturday I did my run up South Fork, spent all afternoon on the grass at the park and the evening out at a golf course.  Couldn't breath when I went to bed.  Monday I spent hours at Temple Square around the grass and flowers and the evening at a reception at a green house.  That night I could hardly breath out of my nose again and the next morning I felt sick.  We also open all our windows at night to let the canyon wind cool the house off, which the doctor said is a bad thing to do with allergies.

Now I'm on a nasal spray.  I really hope I can figure out a way to control this because I'm so sick of feeling sick, especially in the summer.  No more opening windows, cut back on running up the canyon, etc.  This really sucks because I love the outdoors.

My husband Brent dropped Melody and I off up South Fork.  We ran 1 mile up to the start of the Provo River 1/2 Marathon start.  There weren't as many people there as last year.  Melody and I ran the race (unregistered).  I ran the first mile way too fast as I hurried up by Maryann Shauerhammer to say hi and tell her I like her hair cut.  Then I slowed down, but when I got out of South Fork my legs were tired.  I was also supper thirsty.  Perhaps it's the decongestants I'm on.  So I stopped and stood there drinking two cups at every water stop.  I treated this more like a long tempo run and my time was 1:27.  I didn't feel near as well as I did doing this same run at about the same pace a few weeks ago with Melanie, so that was discouraging.  After the race I ran a little with Melody and ran home for a total of 17 miles.

I ran 4 miles at about a 7:15 pace then two more with my sister who is in town from Oregon.  The two with her were at about a 9 min pace. 

12 miles avg 7:13 pace.  I ran a hilly route from my house out past Timp View High School, up by the Provo Temple and back.  I felt better at the end than the start.

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:20 pace

3 easy miles with two of my sisters, Laura from AZ and Kelly from OR, and by easy, I mean easy, avg 9:42 pace.  We ran from my mom's house (two doors down from mine) to the Orem Cemetary to my dad's grave and back.  I always admired my dad's work ethic.  He was the hardest working person I knew.  As I stood on his headstone stretching we talked about how his hard work and all the stress he put himself under may have contributed to his early death.  He died of brain cancer at age 60.  As we walked away we said, "See you later dad," and I said, "What if he was listening to us talk about how we think he worked too hard and made himself sick?"  I miss my dad.

I ran the Wasatch Wellness Run.  Provo Canyon School, where my husband works, was one of the sponsors and they paid my entry fee.  I ran from my house to the start of the race, 6.8 miles away.  When I told my son Canyon that was my plan he said, "You're going to run a 10k to warm up for your 10k?!"  I said, "Yes." 

I got there right before the race started and saw Maryanne in the bathroom.  I came out and told my kids, "Maryanne is here.  That means she's going to be first and I'm going to be second.  She'll get $100 and I'll get nothing."  I was ok with that, after all it didn't cost me anything to register and the shirts were actually really nice. 

The race started and in about 2 miles Maryanne was probably a minute ahead of me.  Far, but not so far I couldn't see her.  Then at mile 3 I realized I was getting closer to her.  The race went from 7-peaks, around the mental hospital, then around the Provo Cemetary then up 900 East, around Kawanas Park and back to 7-peaks.  At mile 4 going up 900 East, in the middle of 2.5 miles of uphill, I realized I was really closing the gap.  I thought, "If someone said, 'I'll give you $100 if you catch that girl,' I'd at least try."  I figured I could catch her, but didn't know if I could keep up if she sped up much.  At mile 5 right as the downhill started I passed Maryanne and she didn't seem to speed up.  I kicked it in the last mile, which was my fastest mile and took 1st!  Then I ran another 5 miles for a total of 18 miles today.

5 miles @ 7:11 pace.  My husband came with me on his bike, which was fun.  The kids had a sleepover at their grandparent's home last night.  I should have been able to sleep great, but I didn't.  The stupidest thing I kept thinking about was how rediculous my son's soccer coach is.  I read an e-mail he sent right before bed which said "BE THERE NO LATER THAN 1:15. " (45 min before the game starts) "If the boys are late, they will sit out the first half!"  I get that this is "competition" soccer, but they are 8 years old!  I could go on about the other things that bug me, this was just the latest. 

10 miles with mostly with Josse, Melody and Rebecca.

Yesterday morning I was thinking about how nice it is my quads haven't bothered me in so long. Then I was in and out of the car and up and down sitting and standing all day. Late in the afternoon I all the sudden had a pain in my quad as I got up off the toilet. I pulled a muscle going to the bathroom! It hurt really bad last night. I couldn't even run a few steps after dinner when I tried to kick the soccer ball with my daughter.

So this morning I got out of bed, put on my socks and shoes and ran down the cul-de-sac and back in my pj's at 5:20 a.m. before getting ready to run. I didn't want to get all dressed and drive somewhere to meet people and then not be able to run.

Fortunately it didn't hurt the whole time I ran and doesn't feel any worse now, so I think I'm ok. Some resting and rubbing today and tomorrow and I should be good.

10 miles avg 7:18 pace.  Was going to meet Marie, Rebecca and Josse but it didn't work out.  Marie sent text at 3:30 a.m. saying she wasn't running.  I headed out to meet the others at 5:30 a.m., but they turned off the street we were meeting on right before I got there.  I saw them but didn't realize it was them and kept running thinking they were still coming.  I stopped back home for my pepper spray and headed up the canyon, but it was so dark I turned around and ran down Univ Ave the other way.

5.5 miles avg 7:09 pace.  I slept till 7:00 a.m.  The other's were meeting at 6:00 a.m. and I didn't want to get up that early.  Luckily I ran into Melody and we did three miles together, as she was finishing up her run. 

20 miles with Melanie, Kim and Jane.  We started at Vivian Park and ran 4 miles up South Fork at 7:50 pace.  This was our "warm-up" but it wasn't really easy.  Then we ran 14 miles down Provo Canyon at "marathon pace" 6:43 pace.  We finished it off with a 2 miles "cool down" 7:28 pace.  My legs were tired off and on, but they actually felt the worst when we finished our marathon pace and slowed down for our cool down.  It seemed like I would have felt better to just keep running fast for two more miles.  I'm glad I got in 20 miles today. 

5 miles with Melody avg 7:22 pace, then ice in river.

12 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:00 pace.  School started last week, but this was the first day of kindergarten and thus the first day I sent all my kids out the door to the bus stop.  I didn't quite know how to feel about it.  I guess I'm having a hard time realizig the "little kid" stage of over.  So I drowned my mixed emotions in a 12 mile run. 

I really enjoyed the first 5 miles then I felt like I needed to pee but when I stopped at mile 6 nothing came out, and I still felt like I needed to pee.  Then the realization "I must have a UTI."  Started running the 6 miles home and felt more and more miserable every mile.  With two miles to go I stopped in the bushes again and the little bit that came out looked like straight blood.  In a lot of pain at this point.  I drank until my stomach was full ( probably two water bottles worth) and ran the rest of the way home.  By the time I went to the doctor my pee actually looked like pee.  Still, the nurse said, "There was a lot of blood in it," and I thought "that's nothing compared to what was coming out of me two hours ago."

10 miles with Marie avg 7:06 pace.  I don't know why we ran so fast.  We were both talking and breathing hard the whole way.  I was exhausted.  Twice we talked about slowing down and probably slowed about 15 sec/mile for a 1/2 mile or so.  It was fun to visit with her again.  We haven't run together in a while.

3 easy miles avg 7:28 pace.  The doctor called later in the day to say I do not have an infection and I need to come in next week to give another urine sample to test my kidneys.  Now I'm  having anxiety of it.

23 miles avg 7:02 pace.  My good husband drove me, Melanie and Julie C up Provo Canyon into Wallsburg at 5:00 a.m. so we could run down the canyon and not have to go back up to get a car afterwards.  The pace felt really good as this was a downhill run from Wallsburg all the way out of the canyon.  My body felt good, not breathing too hard and my legs weren't very tired either.  I did feel incredibly uncomfortable when it came to feeling like I needed to pee all the time.  I drank a lot so as not to get dehydrated because I didn't want to start peeing blood again.  But I would pee and then still feel like I needed to pee!  I had this sensation once before and the doctor gave me a yeast infection pill.  Then I felt better, so maybe I'll use the refill on that and see if it helps.  That wouldn't explain the blood in the urine on Tuesday though.  Kidney stones maybe.  All I know is I better get this figured out before the marathon because I don't want to feel uncomfortable in such a stupid way trying to run my race.

4 miles avg 7:17 pace with  my husband on his bike.  My quads were sore from Saturday and I was tired because I didn't sleep well the night before.  I think I have kidney stones and was so uncomfortable I debated going to the hospital.  

10 miles average 7:15 pace.  My quads felt mostly better.  The most uncomofortable part of the run was feeling like I needed to pee.  I have an appointment with my doctor this afternoon.

Met Marie, Melody and Rebecca at Melody's house.  I ran there and back to get 10 miles because they were only going 5.  It was fun to visit with them and hear about Melody's race.  Avg 7:39, about 5 1/2 miles at 8 min pace and 4 1/2 miles at 7:15 pace. 

4 miles with my 2 1/2 yr old nephew in my running stroller.  I haven't pushed a stroller in a long time.  I used to push my boys every day when they were little.  Avg 7:51 pace.

20 miles with Melanie avg 7:03 pace.  We went to the start of the Spanish Fork 1/2 marathon and ran 7 miles along part of the course with Mckenzie before the race started.  It was fun to visit with her.  Then we ran the 1/2 marathon, unregistered.  It was basically an out and back mostly flat course. 

I felt tired from mile one.  My legs just never felt fresh.  At mile 16 1/2 I thought, "I wish we were only going 17 miles."  So at the water stop 1/2  mile later I stretched out and felt better the last 3.  I felt like this was a good cardio workout.  7:03 pace for 20 miles isn't too bad with no elevation drop.  We also talked quite a bit.  We stopped our watches when we drank, but that wasn't too often or for very long. 

I think my legs were still tired from our 23 miles last week and also beat up from the rubbing I gave them last night while I watched "Soul Surfer."  I also went to bed way to late and woke up a lot.  I think I didn't sleep enough. 

Next Saturday will be a shorter run.  Three weeks until St. George!  I'm so excited for this race.  I think I'm in the best Marathon shape I've ever been in.  Hopefully everything, or at least most things will go right for me and I'll feel great for the race.

4 miles avg 7:15 pace. 

12 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  I ate breakfast with the kids, got them off to school then did 1 1/2 hours of bookkeeping work before heading out on my run.  I ran an avg 7:04 pace for the 6 miles up the canyon.  No wonder I was breathing so hard.  I also thought "Eating breakfast really helps.  I should remember to eat before I run my marathon."  On the way back my legs started to feel tired, the downhill on the quads.  I was doing fine until I ran up the hill on 800 North in Orem 3/4 mile from my house and I all of the sudden felt as though I might throw-up.  I wondered if I still had any orange juice and grape nuts in my stomach.  I slowed down a little and felt better.  My average pace coming down the canyon was 6:36, so my average for the whole run was 6:50 pace.  I thought this was a good hard workout, to be able to go "Marathon pace" for 12 miles on an out and back route seems good.  My bladder seems to be all better too so that's nice.

10 miles avg 7:21 pace.  I felt wiped out from my run Tuesday.

4 miles avg 7:27 pace.  Still tired.  I think I'll feel better tomorrow.

16 Miles with Melanie, Kim and Jane.  I didn't get home from a youth conference I was involved in until midnight and got up at 4:35 a.m. to go meet up for the run.  4 hours of sleep is about 1/2 as much as I need to feel good.  I was also having menstral cramps (sorry if this is TMI) so I didn't enjoy this run as much as usual.  At least I won't have to worry about that for the marathon.  Took a nap in the afternoon which was good.  Avg pace 7:06

4 miles avg 7:14 pace

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:05 pace.  I felt a lot better this day than I did the day before.  I had a break to talk Melanie B on the phone while stretching at Bridal Vale.  She's having foot problems.  I really hope it's better for the marathon. 

10 miles up/down Provo Canyon avg 7:08 pace. 

4 miles avg 7:16 pace.  I've been so tired this week.  My 8 yr old son, Eli (the one who has a really hard time getting up in the morning), came down all dressed a few minutes after his alarm went off.  I'm usually up before him, but today I was still laying in bed.  He said to me, "You just need to get up as soon as your alarm goes off.  If you jump out of bed right away then you won't feel how tired you are...(pause)..Seriously mom, the longer you lay there the more tired you feel."  I laughed and said, "I know.  I'm the one who told you that a few weeks ago."  He thought for a minute and said, "Oh ya."  Then he tried to lift me out of bed.  That was enough to get me up.  I guess sometimes kids really are listening even when they seem to be half asleep.

13 miles up/down Provo Canyon with Melody avg 7:15 pace.  I haven't run with Melody for a while, so it was nice to see her again.  It was also nice to have such a short Saturday run.  It seemed more like a weekday run to sleep in later and be done so early.

5 miles with Melody.  I was sure I already posted Monday and Tuesday, but for some reason my entries aren't there.  Strange.  It was fun to run with Melody again.

8 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  I woke up with the worst kinked neck of my life.  I cann't even turn my head to the side at all without pain.  Besides the pain in my neck I felt mostly ok on this run.  My hamstring is still bothering me some.  It's causing me more anxiety than pain at this point.

I didn't sleep well Sunday night and was really tired Monday so I decided to take Simply Sleep the rest of the week.  Well, probably not the night before the marathon because I feel really tired in the morning when I take it.  As I was running Tuesday morning I thought "what's worse, to feel tired from taking a sleep aid, or to really be tired from not sleeping?"

3 easy miles to my dad's grave and back.  I wish he was running the marathon with me. 

I had a massage later in the morning and my neck improved throughout the day.  The hamstring is still bothering me some.

This morning after the kids left for school I got in my hot tub and really dug into my hamstring to see if that would fix my issue there.  It did seem to help some, which is encouraging.  In my moring prayers I asked what I should do to fix my hamstring problem and that's what came to mind.  My neck still hurts a lot.  I'm glad that's not crucial to running like the legs.  Some Ibuprofen might solve that problem.  

I figure I need 4 things to have a great race, conditioning, health, no injuries, and sleep.  I feel like I have the conditioning and I'm healthy.  I don't have any major injuries, just hoping my hamstring is ok and something new doesn't act up.  I sleept well most of this week so I feel pretty rested right now.  I just need to sleep well tonight and I'll be ready to go. 

Hoping to post a sub 3 hr tomorrow!  Let's all pray for clouds and cooler weather.

St. George Marathon!  A personal best of 2:58:19, 10th place overall finish and 1st in my age category.  My goal was to break three hours so although I crossed the finish line exhausted I was happy.

Sleeping:

I have sleeping problems.  I went to bed feeling really good about everything.  I took a melatonin and went right to sleep.  In fact I figure I went to sleep about 20-25 times in the 6 hours I spent in bed, which basically means I woke up about every 15 or 20 minutes.  I was on a futon couch at my brother-in-laws home and every time the air conditioner kicked on it woke me up.  My 5 year old daughter was sleeping next to me and her kicks account for about another 5 wake-ups.  I wished I had ear-plugs and my own bed.

Pre-Race:

I met Melanie, Kim and Jane at the busses and we rode to the start together.  We found a spot in the bushes to stretch, pee, visit, stretch, pee and pee some more.  Then we said a prayer together and went to the starting line. 

The Race:

I ran with Melanie, Kim and Jane for the first three miles and lost track of them at the water stop.  The rest of the race I ran on my own. 

Miles 1-7:  6:57, 7:05, 6:41, 6:32, 6:34, 6:34, 6:23  These miles felt good and relaxed.  I was cautious not to go out too fast and I think I ran smart along here.

Miles 8-13:  7:40 (Veho hill), 7:23, 7:08, 7:30 (another hill), 7:09, 6:41.  This is the long slightly uphill section that always seems harder for me than the miles after.  My right hamstring also started hurting at the top of Veyo and ached all along here until I hit the downhill. 

I felt a little panicked when I saw the clock at mile 13 say 1:30:08..09..10...  I knew I needed to run the second half faster than the first half if I wanted to reach my goal and I've never done that before. 

Miles 14-19:  6:48, 6:22, 6:13, 6:30, 6:34, 7:00.  I felt really good along these miles.  Although at the mile 17 water stop I learned that yellow Gatorade in the eye REALLY HURTS!

Miles 20-26.2:  6:43, 6:25, 6:44, 6:29, 6:23, 6:51, 7:08, Last .2 @ 7:13 pace.  I felt the best I've ever felt miles 20-24 of a marathon.  As I approached the 23rd mile marker I decided to put out a little more effort and pick up the pace.  I was hoping I had three miles of "more effort" in me, but I didn't.  Just after the 24th mile marker I started to hurt.  I took my last gu hoping that would get me through the last two miles.  It seemed to help some, but only for about a mile.  Just after the 25.2 marker with only one mile to go my whole body shut down.  Everything felt tight and in pain.  My thought here was, "NOOOO!"  I wanted to finish strong, but I really felt like I was going to cry.  I swear the first half of this last mile is slightly uphill and that was a big problem for me right then.  After I turned the corner I felt just a tiny bit better as the road went just a tiny bit downhill, but I lost control of my breathing and probably sounded funny.  Josse came running  up to me and asked if I wanted her to run with me.  I said, "Sure, I don't care," but about a minute later was really glad she stuck with me for that half mile.  After I turned the corner I just stared at the finish line and didn't even see my kids yelling from the sidelines.  I knew I would be under three hours if I could just keep running for another quarter mile.  I put my arms up in the air as I crossed in 2:58:19!. 

Post Race:

I received an award for being in the top 10 women and also an age division award, a stone clock.  As I drove home with my clock on my lap I remembered the first time I ran the St. George Marathon with my dad at age 18.  I won my age division with a 3:18:47 and drove home with a similar clock on my lap.  Twenty years later I finished 20 minutes faster and have myself another clock. 

I have to thank Melanie B for being such a good running partner.  I never would have done the 22 and 23 mile training runs on my own and I think they really helped.  I'm also so happy for her 2:59:00!  Kim and Jane were great to run with too and PR congratulations on a 2:50:35 and 3:00:23.