Metabo journal

Ran 10.2 miles on loops around my neighborhood streets, which took 1:57:50. During the first 8 miles I took a 4 minute break to get a drink. I also stopped to ask an elderly lady if everything was ok and to help another lady who was lost. After 8 miles I did 4 min running/ 1 min walking intervals, and so I probably ran a total of 9.73 miles. This is a big improvement over last week, but there is still an uphill climb to finish the half-marathon. It seemed much easier to train to 7 miles, but improvement past that has been slower coming. 

Ran on the indoor track at the field house. I am focusing on extending the distance of my runs during the week so that the longer runs on the weekend won't be such a shock to my system. I noticed some lower back discomfort throughout the run that was alleviated as long as I focused on tightening my abs and slightly tucking my butt under. Probably a good indication that I need to work on core strengthening. Overall the run felt relatively routine, and I finished in 1:03:00.

Bad day at the gym! Had to start on the ellipitical, which I don't like because the motion is awkward. Then I started on the treadmill but quit after 1 mile because the bandage on the blister on my left ankle came off and I tweaked my previously-injured right ankle. 

Walked to and from the stadium to watch the Utes beat the Horned Frogs.

Ran at the field house this evening and struggled with tension in my right knee for 4 of the 6 miles. I ran in an older pair of Brooks that still felt cushioned and comfortable. The highlights of the run were that my ankle felt great and the run felt routine.

Walked 2 miles on an incline on a treadmill. Knee felt ok.

Ran the full distance on the track at the field house, stopping every 2.5 miles to get a drink of water. It took me 1:55:21 including water breaks. My knee didn't bother me until late in the run, and it still wasn't too bad. Actually the run felt great, and I hope I can feel the same way in Las Vegas.

Did 30 second intervals on the bike for a total of 20 minutes followed by walking 1.67 miles on an incline on the treadmill.

Ran outside on the trail to get in some hill work. The sky was overcast and the temperature was just right for running. I was able to watch the the sun beams splitting through the clouds as they drifted across the valley. The run felt great compared to the last time I ran this route, so we have improvement!

Ran 11.01 miles along Wasatch Blvd and walked the rest of the distance back to my car. The run went better than expected considering I didn't stop to take drinks of water. I took 1/2 pack of a gu at 4.1 miles and the other half at 9 miles. I was trying to space it out and avoid hitting a wall before taking the gu. Phoenix suggested swishing it around with spit so that it doesn't all go down in one large bolus...well I ask Phoenix, what spit? It left a pretty gross residue in my mouth that left me massaging my salivary glands to try to wash it away, but I think overall it was helpful. There was also this nice old man (70-something) riding his bike, and he told me good job each time he passed me. I smiled, thanked him, and then watched with anxious anticipation every time he almost veered into traffic. 

Walked on the treadmill at the field house to break in a pair of new shoes.

Ran on the track at the field house. New shoes worked great, no knee problems. I was hoping to run closer to 7-7.5 miles, but I did not get to the gym early enough and I had to rush to get to class. I tried to pick up the pace around mile 3, but it's so hard not to get distracted and fall into the hum drum of running that I kept forgetting I was supposed to be picking up the pace. I was able to finish strong, which is a good sign because it means that somewhere in the 6-8 mile range is now a normal, regular run for me. I guess I have achieved my short term goal.

I increased my pace for this session, running 9:13 min/mile instead of ~10:30. The first two miles were fine, but the third mile was difficult. I had to continually rationalize in my mind that I only have to run one more mile, and that should be easy since I ran 11 miles a few days earlier. I guess I can only work on increasing speed on the treadmill where speed can be controlled, otherwise my body will revolt and I will unintentionally slow down. 

Aside from that, during my warm-up I saw a guy wearing a Texas Tech Bull Riding t-shirt. I wanted to ask him if he was affiliated with Lubbock but I couldn't find him after I was finished running. 

Ran outside on the Shoreline trail to get in some hill work. The weather WAS nice except that it was relatively windy for this part of the country. Of course the strongest head-wind was on the ~0.3 mile section of the run where I was continually climbing, which made it quite a bit more difficult. I could have run further, but the sun was setting and I had to get to class. The focus for today was to keep running strong after coming off the uphill portions. I think I did a decent job of accomplishing my goal considering the wind. Yet again the new shoes worked great without any knee/ankle problems. Although, the shoes are pretty flashy. Maybe they wouldn't work so well if they were uglier...

I meant to do a 6-8 mile maintenance run on the Shoreline trail today, but I started out with a section that I hadn't run in a while and it was harder than I anticipated. The section is about 1.4 mile and mostly uphill. I've been practicing running uphill, but not for this amount of distance at one time and it killed me. Even though I didn't go as far as I had planned, I'm satisfied with today's run because it was hard...I was full-on panting.

I wanted to run on a flat surface since I have been working on hills, so I ran on the track at the field house. During the run I felt fine (good even), but since then I have been wiped out. I guess it's because I haven't had anything to eat. I've been busy making a Thanksgiving dinner for myself (cooking is hard work!)-cornbread dressing with chicken, spaghetti squash, and pumpkin pie. Only 15 minutes to meal time...yum, yum, yum.

ps- The Thanksgiving dinner was sooooo good- probably due in no small part to the fact that I was starving.

Work duties sabotaged my training this afternoon. I walked 1.5 miles to helped calm down the craziness of trying to juggle work, class, and getting ready for the holidays.

I ran the entire 13.1 miles (2:24:38) on the greenbelt in Boise before the turkey. Now the only challenge for running the half-marathon is...waking up and running at 6 am, maintaining my pace in the midst of thousands of other people, not getting too distracted by the sights, sounds, and fireworks, not getting trampled at the starting line. I guess I'll just see how it goes.

Walked to the Boise State football game.