a nice long walk

a walk from our house to hire's big h. in chaco flips. my legs are beat. {don't worry, I stretched and iced afterwards}

4 miles (10,000 steps); 7th east'ish

the blok vs the gu

it turns out
I don't like
the Clif Shot
Bloks

as much
as I like
the GU
energy
gels.









{vanilla bean is still my favorite.}

the roadie

instead of running this morning I decided to go on a ride. I haven't been on my bike in way too long. it was about time.

I rode north on 5th east over to the downtown area, then I headed up city creek canyon via memory grove. I couldn't make it all the way up the canyon because it is actually closed to bikers on even numbered days. (I had no idea city creek even had these restrictions!) but the nice man in the booth said I could come back for two days starting tomorrow: August 31 and September 1. September 1?! how did it get to be September already?

I turned around and headed back the way I came. this time riding all the way out to 45th south before turning back a final time.

I tried to keep it a pretty easy pace. if I pushed too hard I could feel it in my hamstring. 5th east is pretty level (for the most part) so that helped the situation. It felt great to be out there again.

I didn't stretch too well when I got home, but I did ice.

18 miles; 5th east to city creek canyon then out to 45th south

realization

I almost didn't go running this morning. I woke up just wanting to eat. so I had a bowl of corn flakes and then about a half an hour later had this strong urge to get out the door and hit the streets. my stomach was feeling okay; I could probably handle it.

I'm happy to say I got out of the liberty park routine. I ran on an old, familiar running route of mine: 800 east. it definitely felt good to be out there. the air was still cool, going north was a slight incline (you really can't avoid hills in salt lake city, utah) but not too bad. after the turn-around (4th south) I even had that this-is-why-I-love-running feeling. it was great. I really do love running. when I was almost home the legs started to feel a little tight. but they felt tight when I woke up this morning too. so I stretched and iced when I got back to the casa. btw, I discovered cooking while stretching. now I can kill two birds with one stone and eat sooner post run. perfect.

I did realize that the reason why my hamstring was hurting yesterday after my run was due to the strength training I did. [thanks, brook. this post helped me put two and two together] lunges. squats. dead lifts. my hamstring is not ready for that. see, that's the thing. one thing I have to really focus on this time is patience. there is a method {and a madness} to this marathon training business. it's called periodization. you don't go all out at once. there are different phases and intensities you must go through. I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need to go too far or too fast right now. I am laying a foundation. I am building a strong, solid base. strength training will come later. speedwork will come later. higher mileage will come later. I have from now until late december to just run. and I am happy with that.

~4 miles; 8th east

my hammy

I was more disciplined this morning. Instead of stuffing my face with some breakfast, I ate a small piece of toast and was out the door. I did the usual run: liberty park. I need to get out of this rut I'm in. but it's just so easy to run the same route, and not to mention the fact that it's flat (I'm trying to take it easy on my hamstring). maybe I'll break up the monotony tomorrow.

while I was running my hamstring didn't really bother me at all. but now post-run it certainly is. I even stretched and iced when I came home. blast this certain large muscle group of mine! *shaking fist* I just need to get it under control. good thing I have nine months to prepare for my next race. . .

3 miles; liberty park dirt trail

swimteam

pete and I are trying to get back on the swimteam wagon. we went tonight and just did our own thing. we left right as master's was beginning. (I didn't want to face them... yet.)

my first length of the pool felt fantastic. when you don't realize you're already at the wall, that's a good thing. on my way back, after my flip turn, I started feeling it. but that's to be expected when you haven't been swimming in a few months. overall, though, it felt great to be back in the pool tonight. my right hamstring was kinda feelin' it on the breast stroke kick. and while I was doing some freestyle my left shoulder started hurting for no reason at all. fun. like I said, though, overall it was a great workout.

we only swam for about forty minutes, though. we were hungry and cafe rio was calling our name. it's a post-swimteam guilty pleasure of ours.

joint swimteam; steiner

cross country

I really like how it's cooled off lately. at least in the mornings. I was able to go running a little after nine o'clock yet again today. I really should just go right when I wake up, but breakfast lures me in. I'm surprised, though, that I'm able to only wait about an hour or so after eating and it hasn't really affected me too much. (I usually have a three hour time frame after eating for any physical exercise. maybe I've just learned to eat less and my body can digest it easier/quicker)

I ran the usual loop. this time taking the faint dirt path on the perimeter of the park. it adds a little more distance plus you get the feel of running cross country. because I think only cross country runners (not that I would know, maybe I should ask my husband) actually run on grass. I picture rolling hills in the mud and rain: what any good cross country race should be. everyone else tends to stick to the road, sidewalks, or trails.

instead of heading back the way I came, I ran up 13th to 8th east. I was headed that direction anyway since I wanted to get a drink at the water fountain on the south-east corner of the park. and it's good to change things up every once in a while; you never want to run bored.

my legs held up well. nothing major. I stretched and iced when I got home.

3+ miles; liberty park

just so you know

QUALIFYING STANDARDS*
Age Group	Men	Women
18-34	3hrs 10min	3hrs 40min
35-39	3hrs 15min	3hrs 45min
40-44	3hrs 20min	3hrs 50min
45-49	3hrs 30min	4hrs 00min
50-54	3hrs 35min	4hrs 05min
55-59	3hrs 45min	4hrs 15min
60-64	4hrs 00min	4hrs 30min
65-69	4hrs 15min	4hrs 45min
70-74	4hrs 30min	5hrs 00min
75-79	4hrs 45min	5hrs 15min
80 and older	5hrs 00min	5hrs 30min

*qualifying times for the Boston Marathon; any qualifying race must be USATF certified

run + weights

today I went running around nine o'clock. it was basically the same temp as yesterday, but felt hotter for some reason. oh well. you can't win 'em all.

I only went two miles today, but when I got home I did some weight training for my arms.

on the run I felt generally okay. my right ankle was having some weird, random pain. but it came and went, so I'm not too worried about it. the outside of my right foot hurts too. if I remember correctly, I was having this problem when I first got the shoes. maybe I have to re-break them in since I haven't been running in them as of late.

currently I have four bags of frozen corn placed under key areas of my legs. hurrah for icing!

2 miles; liberty + weight training (arms)

run!

it was nearly ten o'clock in the morning and I was in my kitchen doing the dishes. usually by this time of day it's already too hot to go running. as I scrubbed and rinsed I was thinking of what I could do for my physical well-being. swimteam? a ride? I had almost convinced myself to pull on that spandex and head up emigration canyon to see how far I could get when I looked over at our sweet indoor/outdoor temperature gauge thing. thanks again, eliza and paul! it was only 69 degrees. 69 degrees! maybe I could pull off a run, I thought to myself.

so I abandoned the dishes mid-soak, pulled on some running digs, laced up and was out the door.

it was fantastic. the temp outside was very reminiscent of running mid-day in autumn. it made me happy. the air was cooler, and even with that hint of heat, completely bearable. especially in the shade.

I ran the dirt path on the liberty park loop. I took it easy--my goal is to slowly build up mileage and pace. I want a good base below me for my next marathon training push. it was a great run. my hamstring didn't even really bother me!

okay, now I have to go finish the dishes. . .

3 miles; liberty park

what it takes

the four key areas I will need to focus on to get to boston:

• diet
• weight training
• rehabilitation/recovery
• safe/smart training plan
  

the rundown

2009|the marathon of life!

2008|Valley of Fire Marathon|Valley of Fire State Park, NV

2008|Fargo Marathon|Fargo, ND

2007|Famous Idaho Potato Marathon|Boise, ID

2006|the marathon of love!

2005|St George Marathon|St George, UT

2005|Salt Lake City Marathon|Salt Lake City, UT

2004|St George Marathon|St George, UT

2004|Salt Lake City Marathon|Salt Lake City, UT

2003|Lake Tahoe Marathon|Lake Tahoe, CA

2002|Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon|Anchorage, AK

another saturday run!

I woke up at 6:30am, just in time for the big event, laced up and headed out the door. for about the first ten minutes the temperature was actually pretty nice. but after that it just started feeling hot and muggy. I cannot wait for the day that autumn crisp is in the air.

I felt tight in my right hamstring. the outside of my right foot hurt as well. I'm a super thin sock kinda girl, and maybe these socks are too thick. or my shoes shrunk. I mean, I do follow the standard half to full size bigger running shoe paradigm. I love a lot of room, especially in the toe box. but today they just seemed to fit snug. it was bizarre. I did stretch and ice when I got home; hopefully I can finally get my hamstring under control.

I'm proud of myself, though. I've hit the streets for the past three saturdays. and now that I'm practically unemployed and don't have to be to work in the seven o'clock hour I'll be able to start going weekday mornings. hurrah!

4 miles; baby pug tree run: west and east

guts 'n glory

I woke up early on saturday morning to go running. something I haven't done in a long time. well, except for last week. I ran the sugarhouse loop 2.25 times. it was the dash for donations five k. we were team guts 'n glory*.

I made eliza warm up with me a little before the race started. I didn't want to be completely cold going into it. we ran back and forth in a parking lot a few times and then stretched for about a minute. I don't know if you could say I was warmed up, but it was good enough.

I didn't have a real solid plan going into the race. I figured I'd take it pretty easy since I'm slightly out of shape and not to mention the fact I was up until almost one o'clock in the morning the night before, eating junk food right up until the moment I laid my head on my pillow, and my legs are always so tight. but after that gun went off I knew I had to at least give it my best shot. I mean, it was only three point one miles. I can endure almost anything for three point one miles. so I tried to run it at a good pace. I definitely wasn't used to hills, but I tried my best to power through them.

I came in around twenty-five minutes. which isn't a super amazing five k time (though it might be around my fastest five k time--I don't run very many five k's) so I was a little surprised to see that I had come in second place in my age division. I was 52 overall, out of around 700'ish participants. I was excited. it is quite rare that I place in the top three in my age division (the lava to downata triathlon I took first place, the rail trail half marathon I took second place).

it was a fun race; we even stayed for the raffle! eliza was the first ticket called and won a gift card to jamba juice. fun!


3.1 miles; the dash for donations five k; sugarhouse park; 25 minutes and something seconds


*the roster:
becca, team captian and tissue donor recipient. oh, and walker extraordinaire!
eliza, runner
paul, runner
anna, runner
my mom, walker and baby stroller pusher
my dad, walker
peter (the baby), rider
nuno, rider
(me, eliza, paul, my dad, peter and nuno were the guts. my mom was the 'n. and becca was the glory. go team guts 'n glory!)

maybe it's time

a couple of weeks ago my favorite mag came in the mail (along with my favorite catalog. it was a definite good mail day!) and as I was flipping through it I started to get a little sad inside. I hadn't been running in months. a dark cold weight sunk to the bottom of my heart, was I not a runner anymore? I paused there in that place for a moment and then quickly brushed the thought aside. as soon as the way-too-hot-for-doing-anything-especially-running summer temps started to cool off, I'd be back on the road. besides, after running a marathon in may, can't a girl take a break for a while?

I woke up this morning sometime around four o'clock. I could feel my left IT band acting up. my legs were restless. I knew I needed to run. Somewhere around five o'clock I woke up again with the same feeling in my legs. I got up and looked outside; it was too dark to go running. so I went back to sleep. around 6:45am I woke up again, dragged myself out of bed (by this time my legs had calmed down and it would've been so easy to let myself sleep in), put my running clothes on, kissed my sleepy husband goodbye and was out the door.

I decided to run the usual loop around liberty park and back. it felt good to be out there in the cool morning air. by the time I got to the park I was warmed up and ready to go. I started the loop a little too fast and regretted it later on. though I did stick it out and even added another loop (this time the longer dirt path around the perimeter of the park) to increase the distance. by the time I was done with both the loops it was getting hotter and I knew it was time to go.

it felt good to be out there again. I am a runner.

~4 miles; liberty park
a training run for the upcoming big race.