Friday, November 21, 2008

Early morning sprint

Lizzy and I ran to Grimm's Gate. I only took two walk breaks (during 1st half of run). Out = 20:40; Back = 15:23; really good negative split. Why? Well, my need to potty seriously trumped my need to take a walk break on the way home.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

And, speaking of being a big, fat baby......

After the boys woke from their nap, we had a snack and I changed into my running clothes. Before running, we had to take Gus around the block. (He's old, and that's about as much as he can handle. Plus, it makes him feel included since he has to sit home while Lizzy runs alongside us.) So, post-snack, the boys bundled up, and I got the jog stroller out. I had a hard time popping it into place for some reason.

We walked around the block. By the time we got home (after picking up dropped shoes, mittens, hats, and doggie doodie), it was getting pretty chilly, and Bub pulled into the driveway. We decided to have an early dinner. Shuffled the boys into the house, threw the fish in the oven and the quinoa on the stove and went back out to fold up the stroller. NOT BUDGING! Apparently, I've messed up the latch mechanism while popping it into place. CRAP. Oh well. Papa will fix it, I'm sure.

So, after dinner, the boys were covered in quinoa and smelled like cod, so they got into the tub where they proceeded to splash water all over me and my running clothes. No biggie, because I was going to wait until they went to bed to run, anyways. We played, had a treat (chocolate pudding and yogurt) and brushed teeth before winding down for bedtime.

After putting the boys to bed, I proceeded to sit my big butt on the couch and eat about 700 peanut butter cookies. Yes - I sat around in my running clothes for FOUR HOURS and never did more than walk around the block.

My excuse: I don't want to.

OH COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Don't be such a pussy!

So, I didn't run all weekend even though it was fantastic running weather. My joints hurt, and I was in a funk. It's called PMS. Waaaaaaaaa. Poor me.

So, finally on Tuesday, Bub and I swapped cars/boys, and I decided to go for a run.

Bub: Where are you going to run?
Me: I don't know. Probably Liberty.
Bub: Well, Sugarhouse is nice and sunny. [because it's chilly out and she's worried about the boys]
Me: I know, but it has those two big hills.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I was thinking about running Sugarhouse all day, but I mentally whined to myself about it the entire time because, well, I don't like hills, and it's hard to push an additional 60-ish pounds up a hill - let alone two hills per lap with multiple laps! In my MIND, it was all so very logical, and I had come to terms with it. But the INSTANT it came out of my mouth and I actually HEARD it, I was appalled at my wimpiness. JUST RUN THE DAMN HILLS, YOU BIG BABY.

So, I did. We did three laps for 3.9 miles.
AND GET THIS: 12:14 mpm pace! WITH the boys in the stroller! WITH hills!

Life lesson learned from this: I'm stronger than I want to admit (because then I'll have to do the hard work). Buck up and stop being such a pussy.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Let There Be Light...

11:19 average pace for 4.5 miles. It was just Lizzy and I tonight as the boys were already asleep. I ran with a headlamp for the first time. No. I didn't find mine, but I did return to my desk after a lunchtime 2-mile walk to find a new headlamp in a gift bag sitting on my desk. It took me a couple of hours to find the generous friend (Logan). The lamp was great. Cars actually gave me room because they could see my light before they saw my reflector vest. I felt much safer than I normally do in the dark. THANKS LOGAN!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Good run. 4.5 miles @ 12 mpm pace (very good with the boys in stroller!) Even though I didn't want to get out, we bundled the boys up (40*-45* out) and hit the road. Half way through the run, we stopped to say hi to some horses. One of them put his head over the fence and right into the stroller. The boys didn't quite know what to think. The last ten minutes of the run were tough. I'm glad that I did it.

Friday, November 7, 2008

MUST run if I'm going to complete a marathon

Liz and I ran laps in the cemetary last night. I ran hard and consistent even considering the late hour (9:20 - 10:10 pm).

Approximate lap times (I say approximate because they don't add up to my final time of 48:32, but they are what I remember in my head. Need to get my lap watch fixed.)
lap 1 - 10:10
lap 2 - 9:25
lap 3 - 8:52
lap 4 - 10:24
lap 5 - 9:19
Pleased with this run and pace!

Reflections while on this run:
Do not step in any pot holes.
Do not trip on uneven road surface.
Keep an eye out for crazies roaming the cemetary late at night.
Do not get attacked by rabid fox: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/101752.php
(No - I can't get the link feature to work; you must copy/paste the link yourself.)

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Nice fall run

It was cloudy and chilly after a morning of serious wind and decent rain. I ran with Lizzy today after putting the boys down for a nap. I waited until they were in their cribs for naps before leaving because Bub hasn't felt well all day. We ran the USU loop with a teeny detour to drop our outgoing mail off at the post office. Even though I was tired at the end, the entire run seemed like my legs belonged to someone else. They were very consistent and steady. I finished the 4.5ish miles at an 11 mpm pace. Pleased with that. I thought a lot about how I'm going to find the $ to run the four marathons that I want to do next year. We are on a VERY tight budget right now, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I guess I'll just do what I can. Returned home to find out that the boys never did fall asleep, so we bundled them up so that I could get them out of Bub's hair and give Gus a little walk. It was a good cool down for me, too.