Tuesday, July 31, 2012

utilizing the park strip

Although muggy, today's run was pretty good. I hit the new route, and it is so nice to see different things. I think that's why the run was good in spite of the heat/humidity. SoSaLa is not the most picturesque place on earth, but most of the neighborhoods are nice and clean, and the people that I pass are cordial. There are worse places to run, that's for sure. It's kind of interesting to run through a new neighborhood and see how many people are re-doing their park strips into little mini gardens! Tomatoes, corn, squash all right along the curb - even right on State Street! This is proof (to me) that people are getting tired of pesticides, genetically modified food, and soaring prices. Stats: 3.42 miles in 35:13 for a 10:18mpm pace

Monday, July 30, 2012

She's back!

After not feeling well, today was Carol's first run in 11 days. We just did a short run since I got in late and she wanted to take it easy. I love her "take it easy" pace! Nothing earth shattering, but it was nice to be out running with her again. Stats: 3.1 miles in 33:49 for a 10:55mpm pace

Saturday, July 28, 2012

SLCounty Corp Games 5K

This race was for the Salt Lake County Corporate Games. I ran the race last year, and the course was exactly the same. It was at Cottonwood Complex, and it was entirely cross country. There were two steep hills, and it was all on grass. It was also extremely HOT (at least, by my standards). The race was scheduled to start at 8am, but it didn't start until 8:20. Every minute that ticked by allowed the temperatures to rise more and more. UG. It was miserable. I ran on the OCTanner team. Sadly, I was the LAST person on our team to finish. At least I wasn't the last person in the entire race! The best part of the race was having the boys there giving everyone high 5s and cheering "Go, Mom! Go, Mom!" You can't help but smile at that stuff! They each gave me a kiss at the start of my last lap. I told them it would make me run faster. Secretly, it was a chance to take a 5-second breather! Stats: 3.1 miles in 34:40 for an 11:11mpm pace
Looking slouchy - aka my typical running form
My friend, Zeljka. She's beautiful, and well, she runs beautifully, too. No. I'm not jealous. Who wants to be svelt and cut and gorgeous? Definitely not me.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Man, it's hot!

Holy blazing fires of hell - it is hot! I don't understand how people voluntarily run in temperatures hotter than this. NoThankYouVeryMuch! I ran someplace in SoSaLa very new because I just cannot handle running that regular loop anymore. It was nice (minus the heat). There was a VERY blue house with VERY pink trim and UG pink flamingos in the front yard. I think I could avoid that in the future and I wouldn't be very upset. Solo run because Carol has been under the weather, so I really had nobody to bitch to. Lucky her. Stats: 3.42 miles in 35:02 for a 10:15mpm pace

Sunday, July 22, 2012

New neighborhood, fun run

This was a rather fun run. A rare weekend run since I can't seem to trouble myself to get out of bed on the weekends. We slept over at Grandma's and Grandpa's house (which means that I didn't get squat for sleep), and I knew that I needed to get a run in. It was supposed to be long, but wasn't. It was, however, nice to run in someplace different. Usually when we sleep over there, I run the same route. I decided NOT to do that today, and it paid off. There were a couple of really big hills, so I took some long walk breaks, but those were my only walk breaks; everything else was a run. I was going to finish my workout with some pushups, crunches, planks, etc, but that didn't pan out. I'm glad that I got this 6+ miles in, though. Stats: 6.65 miles in 1:11:08 for a 10:42mpm pace

Friday, July 20, 2012

Zumba!

I attended my first ever Zumba class yesterday. That has nothing to do with today's run. The class was fun, and I looked like a complete idiot. I will be back. Not frequently because the class is not at a good time for my schedule, but once in a while... Anyway, today's run was pleasant and felt better than I thought that it would. I've been really tired for the past couple of days, but it wasn't bad. The typical loop which I'm really tired of. In fact, right now, I'm going to find a new 3-mile loop to use for the next month or so. Stats: 3.1 miles in 32:32 for a 10:30mpm pace

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

very tired today

Man. I was really tired at the start of this run. At about the halfway point, I felt a bit better. This is no surprise because this is when the downhill started! I ran a negative split with my first half at 40-ish minutes and my second half at 37-ish minutes. That's always a nice feeling. That feeling of tiredness didn't ever go away, though. (I've been taking my iron again. I remember about half of the time. Maybe it's going to take a bit to kick in.) I had to start counting down the blocks to try and mentally pump myself up. It worked, but only slightly. Whatever. I finished, and that's good enough for me today! Stats: 7.39 miles in 1:17:42 for a 10:31mpm pace

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

"speed" workout

Carol had an 8am meeting, so I was on my own. These days are generally accepted as "speed" workouts. Since all of my (two) readers know me in real life, you can impagine that "speed" is a generous term for what I do. Today is no exception. But, I did run faster than usual. I just did the regular 3-mile loop (which is getting tedious three times per week), and I managed to avoid stopping for any lights or roads or cars. Becaue of the quickly warming temperatures, I was sweating heavily. I had forgotten my visor, so a seemingly inordinate amount of time was spent wiping moisture from my lovely, freckled face. Stats: 3.1 miles in 30:53 for a 9:58mpm pace

Monday, July 16, 2012

frickin' hill

Even though both of us really, really, really wanted to wuss out this morning, we decided to run UP the 8th South hill. It was about as much fun as it always has been. I must say, however, that I think that it's getting better. It took me 8-ish minutes to run from 9thE to 13thE today. If I can cut a minute off of that time by the end of the summer, then I will be very happy. Otherwise, the run was a bit muggy. Not a lot of people out - in fact, we only saw two other runners. It was a really nice morning; the oppressive heat is gone for a couple of days thanks to some much needed weekend rain. Stats: 6.94 miles in 1:18:47 for an 11:22mpm pace

Friday, July 13, 2012

It was just... whatever...

Blah. Bleck. Yuck. Ug. Meh. That pretty much sums up today's run. Neither of us wanted to do it. It was HOT and muggy. There is smoke in the air from all of the wildfires. It was after weight class. You know - waaaaa, waaaaa, waaaaa. But, we did it. Yay, us. Stats: 3.1 miles in 35:30 for an 11:28mpm pace

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Why's it gotta be so hot?

That post title has a fun cadence (unlike my running), but the grammatical issues may make me change it later. This was a tough run. First, I gave blood yesterday. The next day's run is always a little harder after doing that. I drank a LOT of water yesterday, but not enough to perk me right back up. I don't mind; it's a good cause. I should have thought about this donation before I was at the half way point though. It felt like a really long run, and I felt exhausted. I probably should have run a shorter distance considering yesterday. Second, it was freaking 78* at 6AM. Oh. My. Holy. Crap. I can't function in this kind of heat. It's awful. It's supposed to be 103* today.... Third. I'm getting crap for sleep. We're sleeping downstairs because it's cooler down there. Why is it cooler? Well, because we STILL don't have central air. I'm so sick of this. I'm going to stop now because this is going to turn into a bitch session, and I'm too tired to do it justice. Stats: 5.46 miles in 57:15 for a 10:30mpm pace

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Lucifer was at her best today!

After yesterday's hill repeats, my backside was stiff for the rest of the day. This morning was no different. My right side, where the hammy meets the pelvis, especially. I've had trouble with this spot for a while now. Nothing alarming. Just irritating. I have to stretch it slowly and frequently. I made it to work early this morning in hopes of running before weight class and before it got too hot. Carol chose not to run, so I was on my own. I tried to push it, but I was tired after yesterday. I muddled through. THEN, I went to weight class. Let's just say this: if I hadn't run before class, I definitely wouldn't have run after! Holy cats! My biceps are sore, and we didn't even do a bicep-specific exercise! Lucifer (Carolyn) was on one this morning, for sure. I hate that class. BUT, I love her. She's awesome.... Stats: 3.1 miles in 31:12 for a 10:04mpm pace

Monday, July 9, 2012

hill repeats with the TM guys

This was an interesting run. Each Monday, a few of us from the Tough Mudder team are getting together to workout. Today was hill repeats in Sugarhouse Park. Instead of riding up to the park, Carol and I started running from work - mainly because I didn't do squat over the weekend, and I needed the miles. So, we ran the two miles up to the park where I met Russell and Michael. Carol didn't want to do hill-repeats since she had just done a half on Saturday. She ran two laps while I ran five hill repeats with the guys. Then, we ran the outside lap. I did five more hill repeats without the guys, and then I ran back. The first set of five weren't too bad. I was tired by the time the send set came, but I did it. Then, after I was done and had stood around fixing my hair, I realized how stiff I was because my hammys and glutes were already stiff. Oh, joy. Stats: 7.73 miles in 1:17:26 for a 10:02mpm pace

Thursday, July 5, 2012

sweating out the celebration

This was a tough run for Carol, so we just slowed it down a bit. No big deal - it was about getting the miles anyway. It was humid (40%!!) though. Not that I would have really noticed. I was busy sweating out those margaritas that I drank yesterday. My yoga mat was a mess! I just realized that I should have chosen a more "American" drink to celebrate the 4th of July! Something like Long Island Iced Tea or a Yankee Doodle. Oh well. Too late now! Stats: 3.1 miles in 36:11 for an 11:41mpm pace

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

It's just a little pill (that I consistently forget to take)

I'm worn out, and I think that I know the reason. I've not been taking my iron. I can blame the weather, after all it was 80* today at 8am. That takes a lot out of a person. But, I know that my tiredness is more than that. Dammit. I can't stand it when I don't take care of myself. Today's run, 4.5 miles, should have been easy one, but it wasn't. It felt long and tiring and blah. I did push the pace a bit, but not that much. I did run the wood chip path for half of the park, but not the whole park. I just feel like this should have been a better run. Stats: 4.5 miles in 45:56 for a 10:13mpm pace

Monday, July 2, 2012

Ensign Peak with friends

Well, this wasn't what I wanted it to be, but it's done. Carol and I met with Michael and Russell this morning to run up to Ensign Peak. We opted for the short version. We started at the south steps of the state capitol and ran up to the peak. I swear, more than 50% of the first half of the run was walked uphill. 100% of the second half was run downhill. The hike up to the peak is tough. Someday, SOMEDAY, I'm going to run it. Not today... It's such a fun trail, even though it's short. (You only realize that it's short on the way down. Going up, it definitely feels long!) Stats: 4.06 miles in 52:02 for a 12:49mpm pace