Weekly RUNdown

I knew I was feeling run down, but I think I was in denial about how run down I actually am.  I ended up taking an extra day of rest this week because I can feel several things coming to a head.  I've had shin pain since October that I keep pretending isn't there.  I thought it was shin splints at first and now I'm not sure.  This past week it would ache when I wasn't running- bad sign.

Besides that, I can tell that my hips are out of whack again.  They pop when ever I'm going up the stairs and if I'm doing any sort of strength training.  Hips that are out of place = tight IT Bands.  On my longer run this week I could really start to feel it on my right side.


Anyway- all of this means that I took time off last week, today, and I'm seeing my physical therapist this afternoon.  Better to get things under control sooner rather than later.

That being said, here's the RUNdown:

Monday:  5x400M repeats with 1:30 rest intervals in between.  Pace was pretty inconsistent- between 5:35 and 6:00 pace.  Times were 1:23, 1:26, 1:29, 1:29, 1:30.  These worked me pretty good.  I'm not used to running such short intervals so I struggled getting the pacing right- I was going to fast, and then too slow, and then too fast, and then too slow...  I'm sure I would do better if I were to do them again.  I could really feel my IT Bands super tight, as well as the pain in my left shin after this workout.  I decided to take the next day off of running.  I finished this up with 2 Yasso's at Mindy's pace (3:30ish).  Total mileage was 5.33 miles.

Tuesday:  Nike Training Club App (it's for women)- Muscle Definer, 30 minutes with weights.  It is not news how weak I am.  This kicked my BUTT!!!  I was so sore the next day and was sweating up a storm when I was doing it.

Thursday:  5.18 miles, 8:45 pace with Jami.  Took it easy and slow.  Still feeling all sorts of soreness from earlier in the week.

Friday:  9.55 miles, 9:23 pace with Mindy.  I almost died from Hypothermia on this run.  I was planning on doing 13.1, but I couldn't make it another step.  I under dressed and was miserable the entire time.  It was 12 degrees and I should have worn a wind breaker over my running clothes.  I won't forget next time!

Saturday:  IT Band Rehab exercises- glutes, hips, calves and feet, 30 minutes.  My shin was feeling pretty painful so I skipped my normal Saturday long run.  Strength training was good though; I needed to do it anyway.

Last week's goal:  Foam roll every day.  Check!  I took the time every day (I even had to get my butt out of bed one night after I remembered!) and I'm so glad I did.  I'm feeling so sore and run down and I know foam rolling will help.

This week's goal:  Follow the advice from my PT.  If he says "No running", then I'm not going to.  If he says "Do your exercises every single day," then I will.  Ugh.  I'm scared about this appointment.  All you bloggers (ahem, Kim and Janae) have me freaked out that I might have a stress fracture.

What is your favorite speed work to do?  Where do you do it- track, street, or treadmill?  How was your workout week?
 If you already are my friend on Daily Mile, then I'm aware this stuff is old news. I keep this blog as my running journal so I'm sorry about the repeat.

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Confession

I'm a drill sergeant parent... and team captain.  I learned last week that people on my old Wasatch Back team nicknamed me "Sarge".  I would be more upset if it wasn't accurate.

I went for a run the other day and realized I forgot to put on a sports bra.  The kicker- I didn't notice because of how it felt when I was running- I noticed because I didn't have a good place to clip on my iPod.

I hate the name of my blog.

I made a New Year's Resolution to only have one sugary treat per day.  It's ridiculous how hard it is for me!  6 days and so far it has been a success.

The thought of running a marathon again makes me want to run and hide.  I'm scared.  Marathons are hard, but TRAINING for a marathon is a billion times harder.

I keep my kids up during the day so I can put them to bed early on Thursdays.  Why?  Two words- Grey's Anatomy.

I'm so baby hungry that I might just keep this little baby that I watch during the day.  His mama can just find a new one, right?

I want to nap every single day.

I like popcorn with equal parts butter and popped corn.

I like toast with equal parts butter, bread, and strawberry jam.

I like pancakes with equal parts butter, and pancake.
I like butter.

Go and GET IT.

I read this on my friend Nicki's blog (who just so happens to be running the Wasatch Back with me this year! ) and I absolutely had to share it with you.  You want something?  THIS is how you get it:

If you want a thing bad enough
To go out and fight for it,
Work day and night for it,
Give up your time and your peace and your sleep for it;
If only desire of it
Makes your aim strong enough
Never to tire of it,
If life seems all empty and useless without it
And all that you scheme and you dream is about it,
If gladly you’ll sweat for it,
Fret for it,

Plan for it,
Pray with all your strength for it,
If you’ll simply go after the thing that you want,
With all your capacity,
Strength and sagacity,
Faith, hope, and confidence; stern pertinacity,
If neither cold or poverty, famished and gaunt,
Nor sickness, nor pain,
Of body or brain,
Can turn you away from the aim that you want,
If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it,
You’ll get it.

-Anonymous

FIRST. PLACE. FINISH.  Wasatch Back Marathon Relay 2011

 

What great thing are you going to sweat for this year?

Winter? WTF?

Not that long ago I did a post about what to wear for winter running.  Apparently I can throw all of that out the window because yesterday when I went to the track for my workout, this is what I wore:

No, I'm not pointing out the fact that I have been running for nearly two years and don't have any calf muscles.

I'm pointing out that it was JANUARY 2ND and I ran outside in CAPRIS.

What is with this weird weather in Utah?  It was 43 degrees when I ran last night at 5:30PM.  And we still don't have any snow!  Last year it looked like this:

This was just for good measure.  I love this boy.  A lot.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the Ragnar Relay people are going to be freaking out about all of the snow up Avon Pass and Guardsman again come June because we get dumped on late in the year.

I'm going to enjoy the warm streak while it lasts!

What's the weather like where you are?  Running in snow?  On the beach?

Weekly (yearly) RUNdown

Success!!!!!!!  I feel like I beat the holiday slug feel and was able to finish the holidays (and the hardest week in the year to run- between Christmas and New Year's) with a bang.  So, so happy.

Sometimes it's hard to run when all I really want to do is snuggle on the couch with these people.

Tuesday:  Hill repeats, 8:20 pace, 5 miles, 444 foot gain.  I am SO TIRED of hills kicking my butt.  I think I'm going to start heading up Snake Creek and Guardsman this week since we still don't have any snow.

Thursday: 7.5 miles, 8:35 pace with Jami.  Does anyone else besides me and Ashley feel like running in fog is the same as breathing in jello?  Seriously.

Friday:  Treadmill 5K, 7:14 pace.  I don't think I've ever liked the treadmill as much as I did on this day.  Probably because I knew I was only going to go 3 miles!

Saturday:  11 miles, 8:31 pace.  It was great until mile 7; that's when I regretted eating 3 pieces of french toast, 3 pieces of bacon, and a glass of orange juice only 30 minutes before leaving on my run.  Whelp.  I won't do that again.

Last week's goal:  Run 20 miles.  Check!  It may not seem like it, but it was pretty hard to get this done this past week.  There was LOTS going on.  I'm sure you can all relate.

This week's goal:  Foam roll every day as well as after every run.  I'm feeling some IT Band tightness and I need to do what I know will help me- and that means foam rolling like it's my J-O-B.

And for the year.....

I love garmin connect.  LOVE IT.  I'm going to attempt to use Daily Mile (be my friend!) this year, but pretty much everything I do is better tracked with my Garmin anyway.  I love looking back over my days, weeks, months, and today I was able to look back at last year...

In 2012:

Count:	192 Activities
Distance:	1,230.89 mi
Time:	177:00:25 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:	46,828 ft
Avg Speed:	7.0 mph
Avg HR:	170 bpm
Calories:	111,968 C
Max Distance:	26.56 mi
Avg Distance:	6.41 mi

Running 192/365 days is pretty incredible!  Especially when I was injured for the better part of May and September of this year.  This made me want to make a new goal, too- This year I want to crest 50,000 vertical feet!

Know what's going to help?  Signing up for the Wasatch Back Marathon :)

No, your eyes aren't fooling you.  That's nearly 3000 feet in elevation gain in 7 miles.  At the beginning of a marathon.  Wanna run with me????

 With this bad boy, I will be in it to FINISH.

What CRAZY race goal do you have this year?

Besides the 50,000 vertical feet, I want to BQ at the Ogden Marathon in May, and run a 10K with a 6:59 pace or under.