Running For Trevor

6 miles with Mac, Aubs, & Amber easy in Salem + 4 mile tempo solo 6:24, 6:24, 6:16, 6:05 + 4 x 200 sprints @ ~5:30 pace.  The last 3 tempo miles and 200s were on the track at Salem HS.  Felt okay for the workout but not great.  Thirsty!

8.5 recovery miles mostly with my sister on rolling hills in Saratoga Springs, 8:45 pace.  Feeling so drained lately! 

Come out and run the Dash For Donation 5k/2k in Sugar House Park tomorrow if your looking for something fun to do. :)

3.25 mile 5k in sugar house park. I've ran it 3 times and always measured 3.25. We do this race every year as a team to honor my brother who was an organ donor. It is hard for me to actually race because it is just way more about my brother and the cause. That said I did want to use it as a good workout. I love running in sugar house, the hills are a bit of a challenge but feel really good and I think the trail running I've been doing has improved my hill running skills. I felt really strong the entire time. 6:15, 6:09, 5:56, 86 seconds for the last 400. With only a 4 min wu and coming off a hard workout on Thurs I felt really good about this time. Really thankful one of the Alta XC runners showed up or I would have never pushed this hard. 5ks hurt! It was a really great day and I'm incredibly thankful to everyone who came out and supported our team this year. Always a fun day!

2.5 mi cool down mostly with Bec & Ericka. Fun to cheer everyone on.

Am #2: 6 mi in Provo canyon with cam cam wearing a sports bra & hokas! What a sight for sore eyes. ~8 pace. Felt good to shake the cobwebs out.

7 mile recovery run, 8:23 pace. I am pathetically sore from the 5k yesterday!

9.5 mile trail run with Bec & Josse, 8:37 pace.  The first mile of this trail is absolutely terrible and makes me want to cry every single time.  But once you get past that first mile it's beautiful and totally worth the climb.  Fun morning with great company.

PM:  3 miles easy on the SF riv trail, 8:03 pace. 

12.5 around the Orchards with the birthday girls Amber & Jen.  Jen & I wanted some tempo miles and planned 2-3 x 2 miles.  First set was 6:30, 6:23, 1 mile steady with amber and then 6:24.  We both kind of felt like we were forcing the pace so we pulled the plug on the workout.  I'm coming off a hard race Sat and a trail run yesterday so this was good enough and I'm glad I didn't push through because I may have been digging myself into a hole.  Amber needed 15 miles for the day so since I had extra time I ran with her until she hit her 15. 

7 easy miles + a few strides with Jen & Amber in Salem, 8:02 pace.  We ran the Salem 5k course and it is a tough one.  Salem is hilly everywhere so that is really no surprise.

I've been wearing the hokas for about 60% of my runs the past 3 weeks and I am really starting to love them.  Hokas + trails + more slow recovery/low impact running = much happier feets! :)

PM:  4 miles easy in Payson 8:03 pace.  Windy!

Track workout today.  Miscommunication with Jen & she ended up at Salem track and I was at Payson track.  Apparently some people are asleep when you text them after 11pm.  I really should try and get more sleep.

Anyway I felt pretty good about how the workout went.

4 mile warmup 8 x 400 (82, 84, 85, 83, 84, 83, 84, 81) + 2 x 200 (40, 39) + 1 mile @ 5k-10k pace (6:02), + 2 x 200 (44, 43).  Continuous workout with 200 meter recovery in between intervals and 400 recovery before & after the fast mile.  I felt good and like I didn't push too hard.  After a recovery day tomorrow I think I'll be ready to rumble for another hard workout Sat.

Goals for fall 2013:  sub 18:30 5K, sub 38 10K, sub 1:20 half (yikes!), Stay healthy, lift a weight, have fun, enjoy the process.  I'm excited and need help picking a fall half marathon if anyone has a good suggestion. 

8 miles easy, 8:05 pace.  Ran in Saratoga Springs from my parents house and it was definitely a run with your mouth sealed shut kind of morning.  So many bugs!  YUCK!

2.5 up southfork with AmberD and then we turned around and jumped in on the Provo half marathon race.  My friend Janae was in first place female so I decided to catch up to her and push her into the finish.  She ran a 1:25 and set a 5 min PR.  Very, very happy for her!  It was fun to run with her and the pace (~6:35) felt quite comfortable.  I would guess I got at least 10 miles in at MP which is a great workout for me without it really even feeling like a workout.  Fun morning!

Ran easy for an hour. 8:00 pace.

9 miles mostly on the Pipeline trail in Provo canyon with Josse, Rebecca, & Cam.  8:37 pace.

PM:  3 miles easy with some strides to finish, 8:01 pace.  Windy!

We had a nice big crew for the track workout today.  Melissa, Lily, Mac, Aubs, Amber, & Jen.  We are all racing this Saturday and Jen and I just wanted to hit a conservative and evenly paced 3:00 for the 800s.  6 x 800 with 200 floating active recovery.  This was a really good confidence boosting workout for me.  Not because the times are stellar (that was not the goal) but because I felt so dang comfortable and Jen & I talked the entire time.  2:54, 3:01, 3:00, 3:01, 3:00, 2:52.  It was a fun morning and everyone did great!

I probably wont be logging much the rest of the week.  My best friend is graduating with her Phd and we'll be partying it up in Park City to celebrate.  She wanted to come from Sea level and run a full marathon at 7,000 feet elevation to celebrate....freaking Sweet!  I'm running the half since I'm going to be up there.  It will definitely be a rust buster but I'm going to give it hell.  Should be fun!

Good freaking luck to Cam this weekend at his 100 miler!

7.5 mile recovery run with Julia and my sister in Saratoga Springs, 8:58 pace.

7 miles with AmberD and Jen in Payson, 7:44 pace.  Tired!

Hiked the Y!

7 miles easy by myself in Payson with strides to finish, 7:37 pace.

My best friend Julia got her Phd and to celebrate she wanted to run the PC marathon.  We planned a big girls weekend and it definitely did not dissapoint.  We stayed up way too late, ate junk food and diet coke, and laughed until our abs were sore.  So much fun!

Splits:  6:25, 6:47, 6:51, 6:43, 6:37, 7:06, 7:01, 6:59, 6:30, 6:32, 6:12, 6:26, 6:28, 1:46 (6:02)

Nutrition:  20 ounces of sobe life water and a banana pre-race (I normally eat more but was literally stuffed from partying all week), 1 gel at mile 7.5.  Hardly any fluids during the race.  It was just cool enough that I never really felt thirsty.

Recap:  I knew that this course was going to be tough.  It is mostly on trails, there are lots of hills and it is at 2,000 feet higher elevation than I am used to.  With this in mind I really just wanted to run smart and come in under 1:30.  As soon as the race started I realized it would be a fairly solo effort.  I am really guilty of racing to my competition and there just simply wasn't any competition.  I just relaxed into a comfortably hard pace and ran off of effort.  At mile 5 I saw that I was gaining on Jeff and just worked on catching him.  I finally did at the turn around point and then we worked together until the finish.  I am glad he was there because he definitely helped push me to a faster time than I would have done alone.  I know no one cares about my garmin but it measured the course quite long at 13.3 and I had a hard time mentally staying focused until the finish. 

This was an absolutely beautiful course and I would definitely run it again.  I loved passing all of my friends running the half on the way back to the finish.  The camaraderie and support in running is just unparellel to anything I have ever experienced in my life.  So much fun and you really just can't beat living in Utah and being able to train up in Park City.  I am continually thankful for the ability to run, the friendships I have made through running, and the opportunities it has brought to my life. 

The coolest part of the day was definitely running the last mile with my friend Julia and celebrating such a huge accomplishment for her.

6.5 mile recovery run, 8:20 pace. 

Half a mile by myself and then 8 easy in Provo canyon with Janae and Josse.  My watch died but I think we were running in the ballpark of an 8 min pace. 

PM:  2.5, 8:13 pace.  Was planning to go further but it was windy and I didn't really feel like running.

30 min warmup and then 8 x 1 min on/off intervals in Provo canyon with Janae.  I love this workout because it does not take much brain power and is a good way to get the legs turning over quick without worrying about pace.  Just did the intervals on effort and felt pretty good.  8 miles total, 7:39 pace.

Planks/pushups/stretching

PM:  Jogged to the store to buy apples and Hi-chews.  3 miles, 8:03 pace.  Ate the hi-chews on the way back while jogging and carrying apples.  I am talented!

Back to back stacked workouts.  This is not something I do often but every once in while I do think it serves a purpose.  Met a huge group of girls at Salem pond for the workout.  I was honestly kinda wiped out from the start today but I figured a hard effort on tired legs is good every once in awhile right...

2.25 mi wu.  400 meter sprint around the pond + 5 x 200 hill sprints with equal recovery.  Repeated this twice and then added 2 x 400 to finish.  2.25 mile cooldown.  9 miles total.  Wobbly legs and sore feets.  This workout seriously kicked my butt.  Hill sprints are hard! 

Jammed out to Pandora 90's pop for 80 min this morning.  The fast mile happened accidently when the Spice Girls came on.  You just cannot run slow to the Spice girls!  I felt like a teenager again.  10.5 miles on the Murdock Canal trail, 7:28 pace.  This is a really awesome trail.  Totally flat and it seems to last forever.

12 miles, 7:59 pace.  First hour with Janae on Murdock canal trail and then I finished up in Provo canyon.  Ran into Jos, Rebecca, and Melanie.  This was just a nice LSD type of run for me with one fast mile at the end (6:20) followed by a cooldown mile.  I have been really tired and my running has just felt kind of off all week.  Not sure why exactly but I think it is completely normal to have weeks like this.

Headed to Cedar this afternoon for the Cedar Express Relay.  It should be a lot of fun!

This was such a fun relay race.  I absolutely loved it and am so glad I decided to do it.  I love relays because they make running fun.  There isn't as much pressure and yet I always walk away from them with new friends, great memories, a killer workout, and a greater appreciation for running.  This relay was only 31 miles total so it went incredibly fast and it was really good practice at running fast on pretty trashed legs.  Thanks Kelli for getting us into this relay.  The teams were supposed to be 5 people and 10 legs but we only had 4 runners so Jen and I both picked up an extra leg.  Our team was Kelli, Ericka, Jen Hughes, and I.  Everyone ran awesome and I had an absolute blast!

Leg #1:  4.5 miles 25:19/5:38 pace 6:07, 5:49, 5:32, 5:16, 2:34 (5:09 pace).  STEEP downhill...holy ouchie Momma that hurt!

Leg #2:  3.4 miles 20:50/6:09 pace 6:19, 6:15, 6:00, 2:15 (5:45 pace).  Very flat.  Loved this leg and felt surprisingly great.  I was really worried I wouldn't even be able to shuffle after flying down a mountain for my first leg.

Leg #3:  3.05 miles 19:25/6:24 pace 7:05, 6:13, 5:54, 12 seconds Wow awesome pacing. Ha!  I don 't even really think the first mile was that hilly it just honestly took me that long to get into it.  Oh well at least I managed to recover the pace and I ran the fastest time for this leg out of anyone in the relay so that is kind of cool.

Our overall team time was 3:19:xx/6:26 pace.  We won 1st place for the females and were less than a minute behind the first place guys team.  What a fun way to spend a weekend!  We ended up winning enough cash to pay for our hotel, gas, food, and even have some extra to burn.  It was a win/win all the way around!

8.25 miles up to Bridal Veil falls and back.  So so very sore!  8ish pace.

8.25 miles easy mostly with Janae on Murdock Canal Trail, 7:51 pace.  Still very sore from the relay Saturday but running felt a lot better than not running.

Planks/pushups/stretching

11 miles through the orchards with AmberD and Jen, 7:40ish pace.  I do not know what is wrong with me but something definitely is.  So wiped out and just so off lately...I honestly didn't know if I was going to be able to finish this run.

Back to school today....zero times a million stoke on that!

I had a bad attitude about this workout but I decided to show up anyway and if I wasn't feeling it I would just jog around while everyone else did the workout.  The plan was 6 x 1200's on Christensen's loop in Salem.  This is a really hilly loop that is exactly 1200.  I was a little late and skipped the first 1200 to get a longer wu.

5 x 1200 with 1-2 minute active jogging recovery in between sets.  4:13, 4:07, 4:05, 4:10, 4:01.  + 1 400 in 85ish seconds.  I didn't time anything but Jen timed me on her stop watch.  I'm glad I have awesome friends for these days when I'm totally unmotivated.  I felt pretty good once I just got rolling.  I have no idea what pace those are but it felt like a good effort and my legs were shot afterwards.  9.5 miles total.

PM:  Jogged for 34 minutes in the heat.  I had no watch but am estimating around 4 miles.  Definitely not any more than that...it was stupid slow.

7.5 miles easy with Jen in Provo Canyon, 7:46 pace.  Stopped at Bridal Veil and did a little rock climbing.  Fun, fun times!

Planks/pushups/stretching

6.5 miles easy around the orchards with Jen & Julia, 8:12 pace.

This was an interesting day.  I finished the 20 mile Hope to Hobble trail run.  There was a lot of hiking involved and I stayed with my friend Julia the entire time.  We had a good time.  I knew it was going to be an adventure doing 20 miles on the trails but it was indeed quite the epic experience!

I know that my cordination sucks on the trails but Sat definitely reiterated that.  I fell on the steep decent right at mile 13.  I fell hard....like really really hard.  Ripped my tempo shorts, spilled my jelly beans, blood everywhere, dirt in my face, fanny pack/water belt thingy went flying.....it was like a scene out of a movie!  The dramatic fall was just kind of expected from me but what happened afterwards was a bit scary.  I jumped up quickly and told Julia with blood dripping everywhere that I was completely fine and we could carry on.  She just kind of glared at me and was like ahhhh are you sure?  No, no I was very not sure.  I was very dizzy, kind of seeing stars, hands were clammy, hmm maybe I wasn't fine.  She talked me into drinking some fluids, and somehow even convinced me to sit down in my bloody and delirious state...on a rock in the middle of the mountain.  I remember telling her "this is ridiculous we need to just finish the run, I'm being so dramatic right now."  As she tells the story I then flung my hands in the air, fell backwards and had a seizure.  It scared the crap out of her.  She said my eyes rolled into the back of my head, I quit breathing, and it looked like I swallowed my tounge.  ha seriously someone make a movie about this stuff!

I think I just blacked out?  Not sure why exactly but it was definitely scary and I am really glad Julia was with me.  She sat me up, told me to breathe, and just made sure I got plenty of fluids.  We debated about getting a ride back to the cars with Amber Andrews and her husband but I somehow talked Julia into the idea that I was fine to finish the run.  So we finished.  I am arguably an idiot and need to realize that my body is not resilent.  This was definitely a humbling experience for me and I'm really glad I'm okay.  I am anemic and think this may have had something to do with me passing out...I don't know but it's not the first time it's happened to me and I'm just glad it wasn't worse and that I was able to finish.  I really really wanted to finish!

I am pretty beat up from the fall and kind of look like a train wreck but other than that I'm fine and still glad I did it. :)  My left knee is bruised really bad and running is a bit awkward but other than that all is well.