Metabo journal

Ran inside on flat track since it was so hot, but the temperature was probably equilibrated to the outdoor temp. Knees felt good and there was no pain in my right ankle!!! Pace was 10 minutes/mile, which is faster than normal and I still felt pretty peppy afterward. Only a single bike sprint (30 sec, >-110 rpm) was enough to make me feel wiped out...

Is it against the rules to blog about golf? I think I'll include all the distance my butt covers including running and walking. So...walked nine holes of golf, and went par, triple, triple, par, par, triple on the first six holes. I'm obviously very consistent and the new driver is working wonders. I'm not too sure why I keep pulling everything to the left, but sure enough as soon as I overcompensate by aiming right, I hit it straight.

Ran indoors again and focused on running slower at the beginning so I could keep a constant pace throughout. "Coach" recommended running slower so that the target time/distance/whatever could be achieved at a comfortable effort level. "Coach" can also run a mile in ~5 minutes, so I'm hoping he means comfortable in the relative sense. Regardless, I finished in approx. 32 minutes and was still able to do a couple bike sprints before being wasted. If I had to guess, my heart rate range is probably 160-180 over the course of the 30 minutes. That was the range last time I tracked it with the GPS.

Arby and I walked over to submit the rent check. We calculated that if we walk a 20-minute mile, then we walked about 5.5 miles. At least the temperature cooled off to a chilly 83 degrees.

Ran today around 6:45 in a whopping 93 degree heat, which is nothing compared to the 93 degree heat in Austin. I keep running (ha ha) into this problem where I want to run when it cools off, but I start to feel a little hungry for dinner. So I'm forced to go run while it's still toasty outside. Then I run past a Japanese restaurant that normally smells good, but makes me a little ill while I'm running.

Knees and ankle felt good today, but I seem to have a nagging muscle pain in the medial compartment of my right thigh. According to the acronym BeeF STeak SMells Great, I've decided that it could be the semi-membranosis or the gracilis. I learned that corny acronym in anatomy class and I'm happy to use it! The iPod shuffle selection was great today: The Shins, Patty Griffin, Paul Simon, The Doors, Buena Vista Social Club. It helps me when I get past 2 miles. For some reason I seem to have an upper limit of only running 3 miles (or close to that), and then I poop out. I think it's a mental block...but I burned 380 calories according to the GPS!

Today I ran inside on a track, and all joints and muscles felt good considering I ran yesterday. Running was followed up by 2 bike sprints and some ab exercises. By far, the most entertaining part of the run was when a "tough" guy was working out on the heavy punching bag at the west end of the track. When guys are using the punching bag, I notice that invariably they drop their guard and punch from somewhere around mid-chest level. Sometimes I just want to tap one of them with a little right cross to let him know to keep his hands up.

While running, I discovered that if I focus my vision about 5-10 yards ahead of me and look at the railing and the lines on the track out of my peripheral vision, it feels like I'm running really fast. It also helps if I listen to spanish music or upbeat instrumental music. I didn't keep time today, but I felt like I could have kept running for another 0.5-1 mile. Maybe I was going a bit slower than normal, but maybe today's improvements are due to the 1/2 Snicker's bar I had before going to the gym...it was the best 140 calories ever!

Walked an additional 2.5 miles with Arby after workout. 

Walked nine holes of golf, shot 46. I should have ended the round with closer to 43, but missed some short putts and had trouble sticking my approach shots on the green. Just learning to hit the new driver (Long Tall Sally!), and I've been having trouble getting shots in the air with such a low degree loft. I definitely hit the 7 wood best today...as has been the case for the past few weeks. Still struggling with pulling most irons and hybrids, but the problem may that my right hand is too far on top of the club making me close my club face too early.

 As for running, there was much more soreness in my knees than I have experienced in a long time. I haven't been running on back-to-back days and fear that I am not very far removed from the patellofemoral syndrome that I have been fighting with for about 2.5 years. Walking today felt ok, but there was tightness in the right knee, indicating some swelling. 

Run was somewhat difficult because legs felt heavy due to fatigue and a long week of work. It seems like the hips were able to bear larger proportion of the work. Joints felt good on 2 days rest. Subsequently obliterated all calories burned during the workout at Sugarhouse BBQ.

Today the eastern sky was filled with fat gray and blue clouds that yielded what my Grandpa might refer to as a good 2 inch rain...one drop of rain every two inches. There was even some thunder for the first 5-10 minutes, but it quickly passed and the sky cleared.

I felt a consistent dull discomfort that was more pronounced in the left knee than the right, that I think it could be due to the shoes I was wearing. They were a little older and should probably be retired. Guess that means I'll get to go shoe shopping. Overall the run felt sluggish and I was disappointed that I couldn't repeat the 3.5 mile distance I ran Friday. It seems like if I look forward to running I'll have a bad run, but if I don't care, or even feel a little tired, I have a better run.

Ran 2.85 miles and later walked 2.5 miles with Arby. 

Played 18 holes at Reese Golf Course in the West Tx wind with my uncle. I played from the whites, making the round quite a bit longer than I am used to, but it was fun. I didn't hit the ball great, but I thought I putted ok.

At home for a few days, I ran 3 miles and walked one as a cool down. I took the GPS to check the altitude (just less than 3000 feet), and discovered that there was a 6 foot change in elevation through the run...hence the name flatlander.

Woke up early this morning to run before work, a strong display of will power since I like sleep more than I like Mexican food. The run was smooth, and I would have gone longer if I didn't have to go to work. The new morning routine will hopefully allow me to run consistently once night classes begin in the fall semester.

Walked 3 miles with Arby this evening.  

Ran 3 miles on the indoor track, followed by 1 bike sprint, 100 crunches, 50 obliques, 20 bicep curls. I was inspired by the magical sentence that my workout partner said to me this afternoon..."You look like you've lost weight." (What a sweet girl!)  All joints felt smooth through the entire run and I feel like I have improved my endurance. Recently, at the end of every run I could go longer but have to quit because I need to be somewhere. Soon I plan to run as long as possible to see how far I can go. The pace was slow, but I'll gradually go faster.

Blogging from Boise...I ran 5.02 miles this morning (the furthest ever)! Rarely do I have an open-ended time slot to run like I did today, and let me say that it was much more comfortable than trying to squeeze running in before or after work. I always tend to run better in Boise, maybe because the elevation is 2640 ft, almost 700 ft below Lubbock. My average pace was 10:26 and the total time was 52:20. Pretty good for me! 

During the run I got to see an elementary school fire drill followed by their recess. There was a bright red-headed little boy playing football that reminded me of a little Arby. 

Ran this morning before work starting at 6:37 am. I was rather surprised at how automatic the run felt because I only got 5.5 hours of sleep (hard to sleep without Arby around). I woke up with a lot of nervous energy and I wasn't going fall back to sleep easily. Right now, I think I would not have a problem falling back to sleep...hopefully I'll stay alert through my presentation. My right knee smarted at the end of the run, which felt like razor blades running under the knee cap. Hopefully the pain will subside before tomorrow.

Light run today followed by 50 crunches and 50 obliques. Several weeks ago, 2 miles did not feel like a light run! I have been feeling pretty tired lately so it's good to take a slight break, but still keep up the exercising. Knees did ok today but there was definitely more tension in the right knee. Looking forward to Saturday's 3 leg relay:

1st leg = run as long as possible; 2nd leg = take shower; 3rd leg = get a massage 

Hopefully the 1st and 3rd legs will both last one hour... 

Ran at the field house followed by a bike sprint, 50 crunches, and 50 obliques. Finished the 4 miles in 42 minutes. After running the 5 miles in Boise, my goal was to run 4 miles in SLC since I don't seem to run as well here. I guess a flat, indoor track qualifies, so I'll bump the goal up to 4.5 miles. My work load and class load are pretty heavy this semester and I'm surprised that I was able to get in as much running as I did last week.

BY FAR, the best part of this day was the massage, even though there were quite a few painful knots in my calves that the therapist continued to press on.

Ran outside in some sixty degree weather?! It seems like I am adapting to running at least 3 miles at a minimum when I exercise....good improvement. There was tension in my right knee, but it feels ok right now. The weird thing about today's run was that I actually wanted to run. I was looking forward to it. Maybe because that's because running is a stress release mechanism...good way to ward off those panic attacks.

BREAK OUT RUN TODAY!...or maybe just a good run. I had to work extra hard during this run because my legs would not move very easily. My energy levels were low, probably because I had a hamburger and tater tots during lunch. The fast food is just not worth it.  My right knee was pretty tight but not the normal bad patellofemoral pain. Weather is getting much nicer.

I walked to the bank and post office (1.35 miles), and followed that up by running figure-eights through the neighborhood streets (3.65 miles). The run was pretty automatic thanks to my thoughts (i.e. worries/concerns) about working with the medical response team at tonight's football game against UNLV. As an EMT student with only a MINIMAL amount of knowledge, I did not have a clue what I would encounter or be expected to do. The run was a good outlet to level me out since I was not sitting around letting the anxiety mount. Figure-eights add at least a mile to the normal route I take, and there are some slight uphill and downhill sections as I run east and west, respectively. Overall a good relaxing morning, and the game turned out ok too.

Walked a round at Bonneville today and the weather was beautiful! I haven't played in about a month, so I was very surprised when I hit a great drive off the first tee. It didn't last very long. For some reason the women's tees were removed, which made an already long course even longer playing from the whites (6400 yds). There is quite a bit of up and down and I ended up hacking at the ball for the last 4 holes just to finish. The seven wood was still my best club and the pitching wedge needs tons of work. 

I didn't plan to run today, but my class was canceled!! It was really canceled...I didn't skip it. The thing I have noticed is that I am a much better student since I have gotten older. I don't skip class, I don't sleep through class, and I actually pay attention and try to learn the information for more than just to pass a test. I have turned into the annoying non-trad student that I despised in college.

 I ran my normal loop at the regular speed for the first lap and tried to pick it up for the second lap. Normally it takes me about 29:30 to finish (2.81 miles), but today I ran it in 27:56. I knew I was running much faster than normal because my respirations were greatly increased and I was having to do some very active breathing. I sprinted the final 50 m and then walked another 0.7 miles to catch my breath and for a cool down. While I was walking home I saw a new kind of motor bike. A guy was actually riding a bicycle with a little go-cart motor attached, and he was using the motor to cruise downhill!?

Ran my regular route for a total of 4.2 miles in 42:36, and was even able to pick it up and push it at the end. My knees are feeling much better and there was not much tension in the right knee during the run. I was a little surprised because there was minor pain in my knees after the lifting and moving patients lesson in my EMT class last night. Apparently I was lifting with my legs since my knees hurt but my back didn't. The next goal is to run 5 miles, and one of these days I'll run faster than a 10 minute mile.

Today I ran on the Shoreline trail, which has more uphill and downhill portions than I am used to. I took it slowly because I did not want to hurt my knees again. During the uphill portions I noticed that I felt the muscles working in my thighs and in my hips, but I did not feel the sharp burning pain in my knees that I used to have. (!!!) In the end I think I could have gone longer but I was pretty tired since I have usually been running on flat ground. My right knee had slight pain following the run.

Walked nine holes today at Old Mill and played better than expected. On the third hole (par 3) I left the shot out to the right, but got a lucky bounce off a hill to the right of the green and came within one foot of getting a hole in one. A birdie was a nice outcome considering how far off the green the first shot looked in the air. I was also able to par holes 8 and 9, mostly due to having good shots off the tee. I bagged my driver and began using a 3-wood off the tee, which made a ton of difference. At least two of my drives were 200 yards, but I would still be doing much better if I could putt...

Tried to shake things up a bit this morning. Warmed up with ~1.3 mile at 10 min/mile. Proceeded to 0.12 mile sprints (starting at 50%) interspersed with a 0.12 mile jog/walk. After the third sprint I was very fatigued, which is not surprising since I haven't run sprints in about 10 years. I took a 0.25 mile cool down walk and got ready for work. I did notice that immediately following the sprinting I got pretty dizzy. Maybe that means that I really exerted myself and it's a good thing? After showering and taking it slow for a while, the dizziness subsided.

Ran 2.2 miles this morning on my regular route and it seemed like there was a larger amount of exhaust to contend with than normal. I would have gone longer but I had to get to work...and I had to start my fast. I have agreed to participate in a one day fast to support an organization working to prevent world hunger. Arby was quick to point out that I get very cranky when I am tired or hungry (which is true), so I am trying to keep the crankiness under control so that I don't lose all my friends today. The worst part is not being able to drink anything! but there is only 6 hours left. I didn't start at the appropriate time (5:50 am) because I wanted to run this morning, so I started after working out. I was afraid I would get dehydrated so I drank about 3 L of water, a glass of milk, and a V8. I was hoping the salt in the V8 would help me retain water...it didn't work, and I only briefly thought I had water intoxication. Ok, 5 hours and 48 minutes.

I did not have a good run today. At the beginning I was chased by a dog while the owner sat about 20 feet away and did NOTHING. Finally I had to stop because I was only leading the dog farther away. Then the dog ran into the road and almost got hit by a car. I felt sorry for the dog, because it was just a little hyper dog that wanted to run around and have fun. Anyway, I meant to run longer but my right knee started to feel very tense so I cut it short. 

5.6 miles!!!! It wasn't fast, pretty, or elegant, but I ran it in SLC where it has always been harder for me to run. My knees are feeling better, and I think if I slowly work into longer distances, they will not get too sore. The weather was nice outside and I felt good until the 4 mile mark. After 4 miles I had to slow down quite a bit, but I was determined to keep going. The run took me 58:42. Arby suggested that I incorporate some cross training, which I plan to do this week by riding the stationary bike and lifting some upper body weights. I really need to increase my upper body strength for lifting patients. Oh, and this is the furthest I have ever run!

Rode the stationary bike for 5 minute warm up and cool down, and 20 minutes of 30 seconds at 60 rpm and 30 seconds at 90 rpm. Followed by 3 x 10 reps on the bench press machine, 2 x 10 curls, deltoids, and triceps, 100 crunches, 100 obliques.

Ran this morning before work. The run was relatively easy, and I finished in 30:20 so that my average pace was 10:07/mile. Within the first half mile, I passed a motorcycle cop with his radar gun who I'm pretty sure was calculating my speed since there weren't any cars passing by. I tried to speed up and when I ran past him I imagined that the radar gun was sizzling in his hands because I was going so fast...I had a little chuckle about it. Overall the run felt great, no knee problems.

Ran up the City Creek Canyon trail for the first time. Since I haven't been running on hills I didn't make it very far, but it was a beautiful trail. I was also able to check the bp, pulse, and respiration rate of the person running with me before and after running, and only the systolic pressure increased. I'm not sure if this is makes sense, but I plan to test it with other people soon.

 11:35 pm-feeling the calves already. How did I not get those things worked out when I was running on flat land? 

I didn't want to run this morning, but I drug myself out of bed and did it anyway. The run seemed really long even though my time was faster than usual (27:44). Hopefully my running isn't losing its luster because that will make it very challenging for me to get up and do it in the winter! My knees are feeling more tender than they have felt in a long time after this morning's run, but there wasn't any discomfort while I was running. I'm hoping to bounce back soon.

Today's run was difficult again, similar to Monday's run. I was determined to run three laps on my normal route, and I did but it didn't feel good. I finished in 43:30, slower than I have been running. Hopefully I'll come out of this slump soon. I smashed my finger today at work so I have a black fingernail:(...and I could feel the pulse throbbing at the end of the run. It was weird.

I ran at the field house today since it was rainy outside, which I haven't done in a few months. The track is absolutely flat and was easy to run on. Technically I ran 6 miles (45 laps where 7.5 laps = one mile), but I really think it was more. The sign at the track states that one lap = 211 m, but I was timing myself and I ran the first mile in 10:22. I know I was running faster than that, so I reasoned that the outside lane (which I ran the first mile in) must be farther than 211 m. Using the formula for the circumference of a circle (are you proud Mom?) I calculated that the outside lane is closer to 230 m in length if I estimate that the radius is 3 m larger than the inside loop (I stepped it off) and that the 211 m refers to the inside loop. Anyway I ran somewhere between 6 and 6.3 miles, which is a new personal best! I could feel tenderness in my knees towards the end, but they weren't painful. I finished in 63:30. 

Run was ok, knees were sore afterward. There are just a few small things I have come to appreciate during morning runs:

1-dog owners who pick up after their dogs, especially with regard to the sidewalks

2-home owners who water their lawns before 7 am

3-people who don't cook bacon in the morning (the smell of tasty bacon makes it hard to run)

4-drivers who use their blinkers, so you don't have to wonder if they plan to dart across traffic right when you'll be crossing the intersection

5-running routes that avoid school zones 

6-getting home just in time to hear the garbage truck that didn't get the chance to wake you up this morning 

I haven't run in a few days and I could definitely tell due to the build up of nervous energy today, so I planned to go for a jog on the trail behind work while I was in the middle of a 2-hour incubation. Sometimes during lunch my coworkers and I see this man running on the trail who looks old just because he hunches over forward and runs REALLY slowly-I don't know that he's really as old as we think he is. His defining characteristics are his posture and the fact that he never wears a shirt. Anyway, I'm not used to trail running so I was running slow up the hills (out of shape) and even slower down the hills (bad knees). As I was approaching the University I hoped no one from my lab was looking out the window because they might see me and think I was running like the old man- ha ha, right?! But then I look ahead of me and see that the old man is actually running on the trail in the same direction I am going. Of course I have to pass him, since we have so often wondered (very politely) why anyone would run so slow. To save face, I passed him on the section of the trail that is directly outside our lunch window. The part of the trail continuing on past our building has a 0.2 mile hill, and just as I was about a quarter of the way up this old man PASSED ME BACK! It wasn't one of those passes with awkward moments between runners that are close to the same speed, this guy SMOKED ME! I put it in all caps because I almost passed out I couldn't believe it. Anyway-a humbling experience.

New record!!! I started feeling knee pain (not just discomfort) around 6.5 miles, but when I walked up the stairs at home there wasn't any pain. That doesn't make sense to me, but I am happy to have run so far considering I could hardly run 2 miles last May. Two aspects of today's run are encouraging: 1-I did it without needing distraction from my iPod 2-I finished in 71 minutes, which means that I didn't deviate too far from my 10-minute mile pace. The next challenge for me is to slowly work up to running up and down hills.

Ran on a treadmill today for the purpose of running on a constant incline. I ran at a setting of 2 out of 15. Probably not so steep, but I am trying to take it very slowly. After I got off the treadmill I felt a new, weird pain in my right knee- sort of like my tibia was misaligned. It wasn't the normal superficial, under-the-kneecap pain that I have struggled with for so long. Tomorrow I plan to take a rest so hopefully that will prevent any continuing discomfort.

Ran indoors at the field house. The run was a little difficult, maybe due to general fatigue. Followed the run with 50 obliques and 50 abs. I'm considering training for the Las Vegas half marathon on Dec 6...we'll see.

Ran on the Shoreline trail today, and the weather was unbelievably warm for October. I am still struggling with running up and downhill. Recently I have been considering training for a half-marathon, but I will have to start out with a course that is dang flat! It took me 30:47 to do this run. The good news is that my knees are feeling ok.

I decided to run on the Shoreline trail again today since I am working on running hills and the weather was unbelievably nice. I had intended to run further, but still consider today's run a success. I did not struggle as much with the hills as I have in the past, and I also felt pretty good during the run considering that I am fighting off a cold. The most awesome part of the run was when I was running along...and then almost jumped out of my skin trying to stop because there was a tarantula on the trail. Relative to all the other spiders I have seen before, this one was HUGE!-probably 2 inches in diameter. I knew that tarantulas lived in these foothills, but I had never seen one and was beginning to think that everyone telling tales of dramatic encounters with them were liars. Anyway, I took it as my sign to stop running and go home to rest. While walking back down the trail I started sneezing and felt increasing pressure in my head- stupid cold.

Ran 4 tarantula-free miles on the shoreline trail this afternoon. It took me 47:28, which is about the same pace I have been running, AND the GPS reported that I burned 604 calories! I felt quite a bit better on the uphill portions, and even felt my thighs burning indicating that the muscles to prevent knee pain are getting stronger. I did feel some knee pain toward the end of the run, but fortunately the pain was not sustained through my night class.

Ran on the indoor track today. I wanted to simulate running after I am already tired like at the end of a long distance run, so I ran my first mile as fast as I could (8:20) and then followed that up with 2 miles at a 10 minute pace. Afterward I did 50 crunches and 50 obliques. My knees are holding up surprisingly well considering I am increasing my running volume. I am still keeping a careful eye on them.

Update: Last Thursday I registered to run in the Las Vegas half-marathon on Dec. 7. My goal this afternoon was to run 8 miles, but I did 10.1 in a walk/run format. I haven't run for the last few days because I have been trying to kick this nagging cold I have. I don't think it's completely gone because I couldn't breath very easily, and people were also raking their yards which was irritating. I ran the first 7.03 miles and at the end I felt like I couldn't move my legs anymore. Although the weather is perfect (almost 70 degrees) I started to get genuinely cold while I was running- goosebumps and chills. I stopped running and walked home to get a jacket.

At this point I was very discouraged and very negative. I had only run 7 miles and on the day of the race there will be another 6 I'll have to trudge through. I got some water and a jacket and decided to continue walking to cool down. All along I have been fighting my knees to keep them from getting injured, but having to fight my psyche like I did today was unbearable. What is the best way to disconnect my brain from my body just enough so that I can run without interference, but still be able to determine if I am going past the limit that my knees can handle? It's amazing how powerful thoughts are to have such a physical impact on someone. While I was walking and recovering, I decided that 7 miles coming off a week of not feeling well is good enough, and that it will be good enough even if I have to walk at Las Vegas. It's funny how I overestimate my running ability when I'm not running, and seriously underestimate it when I am running.

After walking 1.4 miles to cool down I decided to finish my 8 mile run, and actually ended up running 8.4. 

Ran on the indoor track at the field house, took 50:30. Followed up by 50 abs and 2x30 sec core exercise (pencil). I am trying to increase the distance of my weekly runs to help when I am trying to run longer on the weekends. Knees felt pretty good, some slight pain, but muscles are becoming sore now.

Ran 4X3 minute intervals on a treadmill this afternoon. I set the incline to 5 (out of 15) and ran for 3 minutes at a pace of 5.8. The first interval didn't feel so bad, but it was definitely hard enough by the last interval. In between intervals I put the incline back to 0 and slowed down to 5.0 initially, but gradually increased back to 5.8 before cranking up the incline. Knees are holding up better than I expected!!! I focused on form while I was running on the incline- good solid lines between the hip-knee-ankle and even distribution of weight on all quadrants of the foot. It seemed to help anyway.

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.

Ran on the shoreline trail to do some hill work. I ran out of daylight, and the run was hard because I still hadn't digested all of my lunch.

Ran intervals on the track at the field house, 2 laps with a normal stride and 2 laps with a longer stride. At the beginning of the longer stride I was very uncomfortable because it was an abnormal gait for me. By the end it was feeling more natural. I did 7 long-stride intervals total, and the run time was 43:01.

Ran the Las Vegas half-marathon! The race was exciting at the start because it was dark, there were fireworks, and all the casinos were lit up. There were literally thousands of people running down the strip (while the hard-core gamblers were just getting to bed). The route wasn't as pretty after the sun came up and we left the strip, lots of brown everywhere. Stopping at the water stations slowed me down a bit, but I wasn't too concerned. At mile 11, the #1 and #2 elite marathon runners passed me...and I finished my half-marathon at the same time as the #3 marathoner (oh well!). It took me 2:29:03 according to my garmin, which also showed that we ran 13.4 miles instead of 13.1...

After the race and some rest, NR and I went to see Cirque du Soleil- it was AMAZING and I was so happy to see it. When I got back to SLC however, I got one of the worst colds I've ever had. It has knocked me out since, but I look forward to getting back to running this week.

I ran 4 miles at the field house, my first time running since the half-marathon and since getting sick. Unfortunately, I think I am still fighting the remnants of my cold because I have a lot of congestion and couldn't get my breath very well. My chest was constricted and I also felt pretty weak during the run. Not all is crummy though...I got into the PA program at Idaho State today!

I've had this cold/congestion for 2 weeks now and I don't think it has cleared up. I was running at the field house again, and I legitimately felt like I couldn't breathe. My time was 39:57, so it wasn't like I was running much faster than normal. I guess I'll just try to run through it. Luckily things are slowing down and I will have time and energy to start running again. I need to set another training goal so I will have something to focus on.

Merry Christmas!!! Ran 4.5 miles through 31 mph wind in Abilene, Tx. About 1.2 miles of it was into a head wind that made this run difficult!

Tried to run again on a windy day, but got fed up after one mile...

Did some powder-puff running this morning with the dogs. Poor old Daisy has an arthritic hip, but she wouldn't stay at home. She would go halfway down the road and sit there until I came running back. The breeze was chilly, but I warmed up after the first mile. I think I have finally kicked the cold and breathing problems that I had after Las Vegas, but maybe I have lost some of my stamina. I guess I'll have to start building it back up again.

Ran 1 mile as a warm up for lifting weights:

4x25 toe raises on leg press machine-25 lbs on each side

3x10 leg press-25 lbs on each side

4x50 modified leg extension-40 lbs 

45 hamstring machine- 40 lbs

50 abs, 25 bicycles, 1 30 sec pencil 

shadow boxing