Emily's training blog

Taylorsville Dayzz 5k

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Location:

Taylorsville,UT,

Member Since:

Sep 17, 2007

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Olympic Trials Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

2 x Deseret News 10k winner

3 x All-American at BYU (back in the day)

10 x state champion in high school (way back in the day!)

3 x USA team member

Short-Term Running Goals:

I would like to run an Olympic Trials Qualifier in the marathon.

I would also like to run on one more international team before I pack it in!

 Stay healthy!  (My biggest challenge!)

Long-Term Running Goals:

Run my whole life, and then live vicariously through my children. (just kidding) , but I do want to pass on a healthy lifestyle to them.

Help coach East High to a state championship. (hope it doesn't take a lifetime!)

Personal:

I've been running since I was nine.  I'm married to a fellow runner who inspires and supports me.  We have two children:  Cole (4) and Lily (18 mos.)  I help Bill Cobler coach cross country at East High School.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 11.60 Year: 109.80
NB 580 Lifetime Miles: 49.79
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
1940.5419.000.0012.000.001971.54
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
2.000.000.000.000.002.00

Baby Myles is here, and now it's time to get back to working out hard again.  I've missed running!  I need to take it easy coming back, so I will run only 15-20 minutes a day through this first week.  I may only run every other day, depending on how I feel.  I can tell my core strength is seriously lacking.  Plus, I'm still packing an extra 15 pounds.  So, I don't want to get injured.

I did 40 minutes on the elliptical on the interval setting.  The intervals were two minutes on, two minutes off.  Then, I ran 2 miles on the  treadmill.  It took me 16:20, so 8:10 per mile.  When I got home I did 3 x 25 crunches. 

Comments
From Jake K on Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 10:17:04 from 155.100.226.191

Hi Emily! :-)

Love the name Myles.

From emruns on Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 10:20:31 from 76.27.114.171

Thanks. It's our tribute to running!

It seemed fitting.

From Andrea on Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 11:02:58 from 72.37.171.52

Congrats on the new baby...good to see you starting to get back at it!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
2.500.000.000.000.002.50

It's going to take a while to get consistent with workouts with a new baby in the house.  Some nights are way rougher than others right now.

I went to a lifting/coreworks class.  It was so hard.  I am a huge weakling right now.  Especially in the core.  I'm going to be really sore tomorrow.

After the class I ran 20 minutes on the treadmill.  Well, actually, I ran 20:10 because I had to run an even 2.5 miles.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
3.000.000.000.000.003.00

I ran 3 miles on the treadmill in 24:18.  I am really sore from yesterday, just like I thought I would be.  After running I took a Zumba class.  It was much easier without the big stomach getting in the way of my sexy moves! 

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
2.750.000.000.000.002.75

I ran outside for the first time this morning.  I ran some loops through the neighborhood.  It felt good to get outside, though I think it will be short-lived, since there is a storm coming on Wednesday. 

 

When I got home I changed into shorts and rode 30 minutes on my spinning bike while watching Spongebob with Cole.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
3.250.000.000.000.003.25

Myles woke up at 4 to eat, so I was out the door a little after 4:30.  I went out to the West Jordan club to run and take the 5:30 bootcamp class.  I ran for 25 minutes, completing 3.25 miles (actual time 25:15). That is under 8 minute pace, so I'm getting a little faster.  (though I will admit that I could feel the faster pace!)

 

The Boot Camp class was . . . interesting.  The usual instructor wasn't there.  Apparently, she just had a baby and will be back next week.  (and I thought I was crazy!)  The sub began class by complaining for 10 minutes that it was so early.  I don't think complaining about the early hour to a 5:30 a.m. class is going to garner any sympathy whatsoever.  

After the whiney warm-up, we alternated 3 minutes of cardio with three minutes of strength work.  The class was pretty effective, if a little "90's" for my taste.  (think step, kickboxing, and good old-fashioned aerobics).  The instructor kept chatting during the sets about everything from Dowton Abbey, to cheese sticks, to how Usher music makes her feel sexy.  The best story was how a female clerk at Trolley Square asked her out on a date.  The talking was entertaining . . . but made it a little hard to concentrate on the lifting.  I'll have to see how the regular instructor does before I decide whether to stick with this particular class.

On a side note, I forgot deodorant this morning.  (hey, it was 4:30)  I was the stinky girl in class. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.000.000.000.000.004.00

I was so tired and sore last night, so I "slept in" (until 5:30) and did a shorter workout this morning.  I have a harder day planned tomorrow, so I just did a 30 minute run and called it good. 

I actually got 4 miles in, which is my longest run so far.  It took me 30:43.  It's nice to see my pace picking up, and I felt under control the entire run. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
3.000.000.000.000.003.00

I took a cycle class this morning.  It was really tough.  The instructor kept the intensity high for the entire class.  I took cycle through my whole pregnancy, and I don't remember having a class that was as difficult as this morning's. 

After class I ran a progressive run, starting at 7.5 mph and increasing every two minutes.  This was hard after the cycle class.  I ran 3 miles in 22:30, so 7:30 per mile pace. 

Tomorrow is lift class.  I will probably scale back the intensity on the run and go a little bit longer (30-35 minutes.)   Of course, a lot of it depends on the baby's sleeping/eating schedule!  At least I have managed to get out to workout every day this week.  (so far!)

I remembered my deodorant today.  I'm sure the other cyclists were thankful!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

I only had time to take the Lift/Coreworks class this morning.  Myles was awake and bright eyed at 5 a.m.  It's hard to be too frustrated when he gives you his first smiles.  I figured the strength work is more important than mileage at this point. I just put in 4 days of running in a row, so for injury avoidance, not running is a good thing. 

Teren is home from work tomorrow, so I can get in a nice long running/cross training session.  That will be so fun when I'm nice and sore from lifting today.

Comments
From MichelleL on Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 16:33:32 from 42.3.119.247

How old is your baby? You are so funny. "Strength work", "injury avoidance". After my third I did start running quickly, but not in a focused way like you are. At least this baby came so you have plenty of time to ramp up for 2016. Is that the long term goal?

From emruns on Sat, Feb 23, 2013 at 12:22:35 from 76.27.114.171

Myles is 4 weeks old tomorrow. I don't have any concrete plans right now, except to lose the baby weight and tone up. I'm not sure if I want to try for 2016 trials or not. We'll see how my fitness comes back and if I can manage consistent, healthy, training.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.000.000.000.000.005.00

I ran 5 miles in 37:42, and followed that up with 30 minutes on the cross trainer.  I started at level 6 and increased every ten minutes on the random setting.  It's quiet at the health club at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.250.000.000.000.004.25

Jake made me feel wimpy for running on the treadmill, so I braved the great outdoors this morning.  (What can I say?  I'm a gym rat!)  It was worth it.  The full moon was amazing. 

4.25 miles on the SLCC loop.  I didn't time it, but I felt super slow this morning.  I can't wait to be back in shape again!!!

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 06:56:28 from 24.10.249.165

Plenty of time to get back in shape. Good to see you running consistently!

From Jake K on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 08:28:25 from 155.100.226.191

Now I'm going to feel like a wimp if I ever use the TM again! I've put myself in a no-win situation :-)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.360.000.000.000.005.36

 I went to the health club again this morning so that I could lift after my run.  As I was taking off my sweats in the locker room, I was startled by a woman, wrapped up in her coat, sound asleep on the bench.  I guess she was getting a little more sleep before her workout.  I didn't notice her when I came back after my run, so I guess she didn't sleep through her class.

I added some incline to my run today.  I warmed up 5 minutes, and then ran 2 minutes at 0 percent incline, 1 minute at 1%, 1 at 2%, and 1 at 3%.  I repeated this for 40 minutes.  I also increased my pace by .1 every five minutes.  The last couple of sets were getting pretty tough. 

After I ran, I lifted.  I chose my own lifting routine over the bootcamp class that I took last week. 

I was also down a whopping two pounds Woo Hoo!!!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.200.000.000.000.005.20

It was a cold, but beautiful morning when I went to run.  I ran 4800 S. down to the river trail.  I had the moon on the right side of me, and the rising sun on the left.  It was gorgeous.  It made getting up in 15 degree weather worth it. 

My quads and hips are sore today from doing lunges and step-ups yesterday.  But, a lot of the soreness worked out during the run.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.000.000.000.000.005.00

The sleep deprivation got to me yesterday, so I missed working out.  I only have about a 2 hour (between 5-7 a.m) window to work out, and if I miss it, it doesn't happen.  Teren leaves for work at 7 and I don't generally see him until about 10 p.m.   Guess I'll have to hire some babysitters when Myles gets a little bigger.

Anyway, I ran a little bit of a workout this morning.  I ran 5 miles, throwing in 1 minute pick-ups every five minutes.  The five miles took me 36:18. 

After running, I took the lifting/coreworks class and swore under my breath the entire hour.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate lifting?  It was especially torturous this morning.  Here's hoping that strength work pays off in strong, injury-free running!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

I was so excited when my friend, Chelsea Mckell  asked if I wanted to go running this morning.  I love having running partners.  So, she humored me and got up really early to put in some slow post-pregnancy miles with me. 

It was a beautiful morning, and the company made the run fly by.  I ran a river-trail loop to Bullion and up to 1300W to 5400S and back home.  Besides some soreness from yesterday's class, it felt great to be out this morning.

Now I'm taking the kids to see the "real" Spiderman at the saftety fair at Southtowne Expo.   I've got to gather all my courage to fight the throngs of children in superhero costumes.  Should be fun.  Maybe.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

It's getting warmer in the mornings.  And, the sun is starting to come out earlier.  I'm sure there are some cold days still ahead, but I think I missed the most of the winter being pregnant. 

I ran my 2200 W to Costco loop.  Coming back up 2700 W was pretty tough.  That's the most hill I've had in a run thus far. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.320.000.000.000.006.32

45 minute run with 1 minute pushes, 6.32 miles.   After running I lifted.  Why do I always feel as if I'm encroaching on the "He-men's" sacred turf when I hit the weight room?  I think there needs to be more 35-year-old running women and fewer 20-something frat boys with overdeveloped biceps lifting weights.   I especially liked the "dude"  who was lifting in his baggy jeans, t-shirt, and backwards cap.  He did a few bicep curls and a little bench press and called it good.  I would worry about the smell of his clothes that he clearly meant to wear the rest of the day, but I don't think he really worked up much of a sweat.

On another note, the woman sleeping in the locker room was actually homeless and looking for a warm place to crash.  I empathize, but members are supposed to check in with our fingerprints at the front desk?  So, who's letting other people in? (I guess she's not the first  homeless person to use the club's facilities.)   Gotta love the health club.  I'm never bored.

 

(1 more pound down this week!)

Comments
From runningafterbabies on Thu, Mar 07, 2013 at 08:27:56 from 71.195.219.247

Nice job getting out there and getting it done. It's so hard with a newborn. And those last 7-10lbs are so stubborn. Way to go! Caisa is such a great girl. I had no idea she lived around here.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

I met Caisa, a former BYU teammate up in Daybreak for a run with her running group.  There was a nice group of 7-8 ladies.  I felt a little scroungy since several showed up in full make-up and fancy running clothes.  Some were a little more serious runners than others.  But, it was still fun having so many women to run with.  And, I enjoyed catching up with Caisa.  She's a super-mom with 3 little boys; a 3 year old, and 18 month old twins.  We ran a nice easy talking, pace.  However, I did feel Tuesday's pick-ups and weight lifting this morning. 

 

Comments
From Kassi on Thu, Mar 07, 2013 at 08:27:26 from 98.202.223.143

Nice job Emily getting back into it!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

It was sprinkling a bit when I started running this morning, but let up after about a mile or so.  I ran out to 1300W, to 7000 S, down to the river trail, and back to 5400S.  It actually felt really nice outside this morning.  The sun is usually up by the time I am finished.  I'm not looking forward to daylight savings next week and a return to running in the dark.  My total time for the run was 56:40.  (I thought I'd better start measuring my progress a bit.)  I think this route is a bit over 7.5.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I met Jenny Fidler down on the river trail to run.  It was really dark, so I'm glad I had a friend to run with.  We tried to stay out of the sketchier parts of the trail, so we ran two miles to the south and back, then we ran two miles to the north and back.  Eight miles in 1:00:03, so exactly 7:30 pace.  It felt pretty tough this morning.  Maybe it's the hour time change.  But, in the last 4 weeks I have dropped from over 8 minute pace for 2 miles to 7:30 pace for 8 miles.  Maybe I will get fit again!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.260.000.000.000.006.26

45 minute run.  10 minute warm up, followed by 30 minutes of 2 minutes on/off.  8 total sets of 2 minutes on.  5 minute cooldown.

No weight loss this week.  Stubborn baby pounds!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.500.000.000.000.004.50

I felt a little bit pounded after yesterday's run.  My hips and achilles were sore.  So, I ran loops at Liberty Park to keep it on the soft surface.  I didn't time my run.  I'm sure it was really slow.  It felt good on my joints, but soft surface running definitely takes more strength.  I will be running longer tomorrow.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.060.000.000.000.008.06

Yes, the extra .06 is very important! 

I met Jenny at Murray Park for a run through the Murray neighborhoods.  The run had lots of rolling hills.  I was still feeling Tuesday's workout, but definitely felt better than yesterday.  The soft surface jog made a big difference.  1:02:28 for the run.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

It was a beautiful morning, albeit dark.  I only planned on 5 miles, but was enjoying my run so much that I extended it to six.  I felt great.  My legs felt a bit fresher than the last couple of days.  I busted out my new light-up arm band that I won in a race this winter.  I really liked being more visible.  The pulsing light setting felt like running in a strobe light, and effected my depth perception.  Plus, I don't think the arm bands are made for the bicep-challenged.  Maybe they have a child size.

I ran 4800S to the River trail and up at Millrace Park.  I love spring!  Too bad it's supposed to get cold again in a few days.

 

Later AM:  Zumba class.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.320.000.000.000.008.32

One hour treadmill run with a little bit of speed thrown in.  First, I warmed up for 15 minutes.  Then, I did three sets of 3 min. 2 min. 1 min. with 2 min. 2 min. 1 min. recovery.  I ran the recoveries at 7.5 mph.  The first set I ran 9.2, 9.6, and 10 mph.  Set 2 was 9.3, 9.7, and 10.1 mph.  Set 3 was 9.4, 9.8, and 10.2 mph.  The workout was a little tough, but not out of control.  I just want to start improving my pace and get a little turnover going. 

I'm really pleased this week.  It's difficult not to go crazy and ramp up the training.  This is my first full week of running, and I hit 40 miles this week.  I know that is still pretty minimal, but it's a long way from where I started 4 weeks ago. 

 

If I have time, I may go take St. Patrick's Day Zumba later this morning.  Do they celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Brazil?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

Nine miles with Jenny back and forth on the JRT. My longest run so far. We ran it in 1:07:20.  My body really seems to lock in at 7:30 pace.  I felt a little tired from Saturday's run, and could definitely feel the last mile.  But, I'm almost to a double digit run, so that's exciting!  It helps to have someone to talk to on the run.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

I ran a tempo workout today.  I warmed up for 15 minutes, and then ran 10 minutes at 6:40 pace, with 3 minutes recovery.  Then, I ran 2 x 5 minutes, at 6:30 and 6:20 pace with 2 minutes recovery in between.  To finish, I ran 5 x 1 minute on/off.  I cooled down until I hit 8.5 miles.  Total time: 60:04.

PM:  Teren came home early from work!  (YAAYY!!!) so I went to the club and took a Zumba class.  I felt extra clumsy tonight.

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 13:24:04 from 163.248.33.220

It seems like your workouts are going well Emily.

Congratulations.

From emruns on Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 08:25:23 from 76.27.114.171

Thanks, Rob. It's starting to come back. It's nice to get a bit of running under 7 minute pace. I think it will be a while before I'm back to race pace again.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.240.000.000.000.008.24

I woke up to a rain/snowstorm, so decided to hit the treadmill.  I ran an hour progressive run, starting at 8 minute miles, and increasing the pace .1 every half mile.  I finished at 6:30 pace.    Last week was so nice.  I'm not happy to see the return of winter.  Hopefully, it is short-lived.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

I ran my Costco loop today.  I ran with no watch, and tried to take it easy.  I had originally planned a fartlek workout today, but yesterday's progression run  left me sore this morning.  A workout was probably not needed. 

It snowed for about two blocks and then stopped. 

 

9:15 AM  Zumba class

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

I met Chelsea on the river trail for a cold, snowy run.  Actually, it wasn't too cold, but the trail was really icy.  So, it wasn't the fastest run in the world.  The sun came out after the turn-around point, and melted the ice.  The footing was much better the second half of the run.  We still averaged under 8 minute miles, which isn't bad for a snowy run.  I'm glad I went and didn't wuss out and end up on the treadmill.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

I had a sore throat and headache Sunday and yesterday, so I was trying to recover.  I still have a sore throat this morning, but no other symptoms, so maybe I'm just dehydrated.  It didn't seem to affect my running.

 

I warmed up 2 miles and then ran 10 x 2 min. on/off.  Then, I cooled down until I hit 9 miles.  Total time was 62:38 for nine miles.   My first sub- 7 minute/mile run.  It was hard; especially the last 3 repeats. 

I am down 6 pounds since I started running.  Still about 10 to go, but it's nice to see the scale numbers go down instead of up!

 

PM  Zumba

Comments
From AngieB on Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 20:03:03 from 65.130.68.108

Nice Emily. You are doing great. Keep it up!

From Kassi on Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 20:24:41 from 98.202.223.143

I am sure it is all the Zumba you are doing to shed the extra lbs :)

Great run today! Way to push through the last 3 repeats!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

I felt sluggish this morning, and my hips were sore.  I don't know if that is from the workout yesterday, or the Zumba class.  I also felt really cold the whole run.  Definitely not my favorite run of the week. 

I ran out 1300 W to the river trail at 7000 S.  Back to Millrace Park and up through the neighborhood.  I had planned to do some strides at the Taylorsville High track.  But, when I got there and found I had to run around to the opposite side of the track to get in, I got lazy and ran home.  Maybe tomorrow. 

 

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I met Jenny at Murray Park for our Thursday run.  I felt sassy in my new Target running tights.  There's nothing like new running gear to get you excited for a run.  We ran 8 miles through the neighborhoods.  As soon as it gets a little lighter, we plan to run out to Wheeler Farm. 

We let loose our inner 12-year-old boy by discussing bodily functions for the majority of the run.  Who knew poop could be so fascinating?  (Sorry if that is way too much information!)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

Jenny's husband decided to do crossfit at 6 a.m., so I'm all alone on my Monday and Thursday runs again.  Myles woke up at 4:30, so I went earlier than usual.

It was warm, windy, and muggy this morning.  I didn't even need a long sleeved shirt.  With about 3 miles left it started to rain pretty hard.  I tried to open up my stride and pick up the last two miles, which are downhill.

I ran out 1300 W to 7000 S, to 2700 W and back to 5400 S.  Nice rolly loop.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I decided to start a little more speed work this week.  I didn't have a planned workout in mind, so I just joined Jenny for hers.  The nice thing was that I was able to train at 10 instead of 6 a.m.  A later start made a huge difference.

I didn't have huge aspirations for a first workout.  Jenny ran a 1 mile, 2 800's and 4 400's.  I did 3 800's and 4 400's.  I didn't feel quite ready to step up to mile repeats yet.  I just wanted to keep everything around 6 minute pace.  I ran 2:55, 2:56, and 2:54 for the 800's and 84, 83, 84, 84 for the 400's.  I did get quite a bit of recovery, with a full lap between repeats, but that's probably okay for the first workout. 

We warmed up 2.5 miles, and just cooled down a mile on the track.  A lot of the mileage today was rest laps in between repeats, but that will change as I get in better shape.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my first post-baby track session.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

Sore calf and a little laziness kept me from running the last couple of days.  I'm going to have to get serious about running, soon if I want to return to racing.  Though, it has been nice just running how I feel, when I feel like it. 

I did a tempo workout today.  I warmed up 10 minutes and then ran 10 minutes at 6:40 pace, 3 minutes recovery, 10 minutes at 6:30 pace, 3 minutes recovery, 5 minutes at 6:20 pace, 3 minutes recovery 5 minutes at 6:10 pace, 2 minutes recovery, 5 x 1 minute on/off at 5:40-6:00 pace.  I was at 8.78 miles at an hour, so I finished 1.22 miles for 10 total.

 

At 9:15 I went to Zumba.

I broke the 130 pound barrier.  I am now weighing in at 129 lbs.  9 lbs to go.  I'm starting to feel less chunky.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

I am super sore from yesterday.  No surprise there.  I waited until this afternoon to run since this morning Cole had a soccer game.  I ran 2200W out to 4100S and down to the river trail.  While on the river trail I was overtaken by a bunch of people dressed in mideivel armor.  They were having a big battle.  I feel so much safer knowing that I am protected from all the orcs and trolls that threaten the river trail!  I love being entertained on my runs!  I was reminded of the movie Role Models.  I didn't know people really took their Dungeons and Dragons games live.

I got off the river trail at Millrace Park and slogged home.  My total time for the run was 1:01:56.  I need to get back to full weeks of training starting next week.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I enjoyed the nice morning before the bad weather hits.  I ran 4800 S to the river trail.  I ran the river trail to Winchester, and climbed the nasty hill to 1300 W.  Then, I took 1300 W to 5400 S and ran home.  Overall, it was an uneventful run, but a nice start to the week.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.300.000.000.000.007.30

I was a little short on time this morning, so I didn't run quite as long as I wanted to. 

I warmed up 12 minutes, and then ran 5 sets of 3 minutes on, 2 minutes off.  The fast parts were between 5:52 and 6:07 mile pace, with recovery at 8 minute pace.  Then, after a quick bathroom break, I finished with 5 x 1 min on/off at 5:35-5:45 mile pace.  I ran until I hit 50 minutes, which was 7.3 miles total.  I'm hoping that I can consistenly run under 6 minute mile pace for repeats soon.  It's hard to believe that used to be my tempo run pace. 

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I avoided the rain this morning, and took advantage of play group to get out and run at a later hour.  I wish I could go run every day at 10 a. m.  I ran an extended Costco loop, running up to 3200 W instead of 2700 W, out to 3800 S, looped through the neighborhood up to 4100 S, to 2200 W, and back up to my neighborhood.  I was a little sore through the hips from yesterday's workout.  I'm so grateful for our neighborhood play group and all the moms that take turns watching all those little crazy kids.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

It was really cold when I was running this morning.  I never felt that I got really warm though the workout.

I went out to Cottonwood Complex to do some hill work.  I warmed up on the 2 mile loop around the hospital.  Then, I ran a hill circuit, which included a 500 meter hill (Bessie) and a 300 meter hill to the fence.  I ran the 500 m loop, and then jogged around the baseball diamond to the 300 meter hill, sprinted up to the fence, and then ran down along the fenceline and across the park by the picnic area back to the start of Bessie.  The entire loop was about a mile.  I did 4 sets. 

The grass was frosty and slippery, so it was really hard to get much speed going.  Next time I do this workout I will time the hills.  Today I just went by effort.  It was a good strength workout, and I can' t wait to torture the high school kids with it this summer.

I cooled down on the two mile road loop again. 

 

9:15:  Zumba class.  I have a new, cute zumba outfit!  Running shorts kind of look funny in Zumba class.


 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

The hill run/Zumba combo yesterday did me in.  I had very tired legs today.  Who knew dancing around could wear you out!  So, I only ran 8, but it wasn't slow.

I ran a 30 second pick-up every 5 minutes to get a little turnover in.  I'm not sure this was a good idea, but it lowered my overall pace to sub-7 minute miles.   55:10 for total time. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

It wasn't too bad outside this morning considering it snowed overnight.  It was nice and calm, and not too cold.  I felt great when I started my run, but two miles in my stomach started to hurt.  I ended up cutting my run a little short, since I had to make two bathroom stops over the next mile and a half.  I hate when my stomach acts up on runs. 

I ran 4800 to the River Trail, off at Bullion, up to 5400 South, and then an extra loop through the neighborhood to make it six. 

I should feel really good for a workout tomorrow.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.100.000.000.000.009.10

I obviously woke for my run with Boston on my mind.  My heart and prayers go out to all those who were present during the bombing, and especially to those who were injured or killed.  I feel a sense of solidarity with all of my fellow runners, and know that not one of us is unaffected by yesterday's events. I approached my run with extra gratitude for even having the opportunity to do something that brings me peace and joy. 

I ran a tempo run today.  I ran a 2 mile warm up, followed by 5 miles in 31:44.  This run was done on the treadmill.  I started at 6:30 per mile pace, and increased .1 every five minutes.  I cranked it up a little more the last couple minutes, and finished at 6:00 per mile pace.  It was good having an extended harder run.  I'm progressing little by little. 

I cooled down 15 minutes to hit 9.1 for the total run. 

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.750.000.000.000.006.75

I haven't been keeping up on my blog very well lately.  So, here I go again.

I ran up to Valley Park and ran a lap around it.  Then, I ran up 2700 W to 6200 S, I ran down to the canal road, and back toward 5400 W.  I've only run this loop once, so it was a nice change. 

Running is a great time for sorting my thoughts out.  We are contemplating moving, and I spent the run considering our options.  No definite decisions were made, but running seems to clear my head. 

 

I thought I should probably pick a race to aim for.  I will start out with the Taylorsville Dayzz 5k at the end of June, and follow that up with Murray Days 5k and Draper Days 5k.  Then, I will run Des News  10k or half.  That should give me something to shoot for and put an end to the random training.  I don't expect stellar results this summer, but it will keep me focused, and then I can hit it hard next spring and summer.

 

Comments
From allie on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 09:47:40 from 161.38.221.168

sounds like a good plan with some great races on the schedule. good luck with your training.

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 10:07:10 from 163.248.33.220

Moving can be a great adventure. I might move if I could find a place I like better. Plus I'm a slave to my pension at this point.

From Jake K on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 10:14:38 from 67.177.11.154

Taylorsville has to be the coolest town in Utah. Who else would throw a double Z at the end of day(s)? Can you imagine how much more popular races like Draper DaiZZe would be if they showed a little creativity with their spelling?

From emruns on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 10:19:18 from 76.27.114.171

Yes, Jake, The double z is pretty awesome. We contemplated (jokingly) spelling Myles name Mylz to make it that much cooler.

Rob, we are outgrowing our tiny 3 bedroom house, so we're looking around.

Allie, let me know if you want to hook up for a run. You may be the only person who gets up as early as I do.

From allie on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 10:23:11 from 161.38.221.168

i would love to meet up. i'll be in touch.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.200.000.000.000.007.20

I met Jenny at Murray Park.  I was so glad to run with her again.  I love having a partner.  I got to hear about all of her experiences at the Boston Marathon.  She and her husband were directly across the street from where the blasts occurred.  I'm so glad that they were okay. 

We ran from Murray Park to Wheeler Farm. through Wheeler Farm, back to Murray Park, and ran a loop around Murray Park for 7.2 miles. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.570.000.000.000.006.57

The snow was coming down hard when I went to run this morning.  So, off to the health club I went.  Cole had to be to school early this morning, so I only had time for about 45 minutes. 

I warmed up 15 minutes and then ran 10 x 90 seconds on/off at 5:45-6:00 pace.  I haven't done any workouts in a while, so I just wanted to start some turnover without getting too crazy.    6.57 miles in 45 minutes.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

I felt a little dizzy and nauseous running this morning.  I attribute it to a lack of sleep last night.  I woke up at 2 after a nightmare about running a marathon (I was only at mile 12 and I had been running for 2 hours.)  and couldn't get back to sleep.  I finally fell back to sleep after 3,  when Myles woke me up and was up for an hour.  Hopefully, I can catch a little cat nap today.

I ran out 1300W down to the river trail, through the killer geese, and back up at Millrace Park.  It was a beautiful morning, if a little chilly.

So, my big announcement is that I decided to run the St. George Marathon with my friend, Jenny in October.  It will help me focus my training and get back into shape.  I think it will be a good one to do.  I don't have huge expectations, I just want to run my first one, see how I do with it, and "enjoy" it.  So, all marathon training advice is much welcome!  I really just want to get to the starting line healthy.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

It would really help if it was just about 10 degrees warmer in the morning.  It's difficult to do any sort of speed when your body doesn't feel as if it warms up.  Or, it would be helpful if I could run later in the morning, but 5:30 is what worked with my schedule today.

I warmed up 15 minutes and then ran 6 x 3 minutes on/2 minutes off.  I hit the 4 mile turn-around point at 28:16, and finished in 55:30, so I definitely sped up over the run. 

I had another funny running dream last night.  I dreamed that I was at track camp on a beach somewhere and I was hanging out with my good buddies Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher.  We were playing skeeball together. 

Note to self:  Baked potatoes with chili the night before a morning run is hard on the stomach.  Ugh.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.360.000.000.000.0011.36

It was a beautiful morning for a run.  I met Jenny at the river trail, and I made up a loop that took us through the neighborhoods, down to 4100S, and back to the trail to Millrace Park.  The problem was, my stomach was still hurting.  I must have picked up some sort of virus.  After about 6 pit stops in 8 miles, I was pretty energy depleted.  Thankfully, we ran into Carol Cabanillas and she saved me with a gu.  The gu continued to wreak havoc on my intestines, but gave me enough energy to finish the run.  Still managed 7:15 pace for the run. 

This was a great week of training.  I ran my highest mileage since having Myles, and my longest run.  Plus, I got two fartlek workouts in.  Now, if I can just beat my sour stomach . . .

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I warmed up by jogging to Valley Park.  Then, I ran 2 x 5 min/3 min/2 min, with 3 min/2 min/1 min recovery.  I ran home for recovery.  My stomach seems to be doing a little better.  I only had to stop once after my warm-up, and managed to make it through the workout.  Success!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

I met Jen for our Murray Park to Wheeler Farm run.  I really like running at Wheeler Farm.  It's a good place to add a little soft surface running.

I registered for St. George yesterday.  Now, I'm just waiting to see if I got in!

Comments
From allie on Tue, May 07, 2013 at 10:48:07 from 161.38.221.168

i love wheeler farm.

exciting about st. george!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I warmed up on a three mile loop through the neighborhood and ended up at Taylorsville High School.  I went into the high school to use the bathroom.  This made me nervous.  I kept expecting some teacher to stop me and ask where my visitor's pass was. 

I ran 15 x 200 on/off .  They were all between 39 and 40 seconds, with the outliers being a 38 and a 40.66.  They were nice and consistent, though I would definitely like them to be faster.  I ran a lap to finish 4 miles in 29:07, then I ran a mile home. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

I ran easy with no watch today.  I concentrated on keeping my breathing nice and easy.  I have tired legs from getting on the track yesterday.  My calves and hips are especially sore.  Who knew that 200's could be so taxing? 

 

My running dream from last night:  I was running a half marathon in Maine.  I thought the race was on Sunday, and it was actually on Saturday.  I completely missed the race.  Jake was the winner, though I didn't see what time he ran.  Funny running dreams.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.180.000.000.000.008.18

I warmed up two miles and then ran 3 x 10 minutes with 2 minutes jog recovery inbetween.  The first ten minutes I ran 6:20 pace, the second 10 minutes 6:12 pace, and the third 10 minutes 6:05 pace.  I felt pretty comfortable until the last 5 minutes of the third repeat.  Then, I cooled down until I hit 55 minutes of running.  8.18 miles.  Slowly, but surely my fitness is returning!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.750.000.000.000.0011.75

I felt MUCH better than last week.  It definitely helped not having to stop every 10 minutes.  I'm glad that my stomach is functioning properly again.  I felt pretty good after yesterday's workout, which means that I didn't overdo it yesterday. 

I ran 1300 W to 7800S and on to the river trail at Gardner Village.  I ran along the trail to the 4800 S exit.  I ran back up 4800S, and then swung out to 4700 to 2200W.  Then, I ran 2200 W to my neighborhood and back to my house.  I'm glad that I got out early.  It's going to be very warm today.

I hit a whopping 50 miles this week!  I almost feel as if I'm training again!

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

My legs were tired today.  They were not quite recovered from Saturday's run.  I ran without a watch and tried to run easy.  I ran 2200 W to 4100S, down to the river trail and back to Millrace Park.  I had to stop and watch the pelican that was standing in the river.  He was pretty cool.    I love the things that I see on runs that I probably wouldn't see otherwise. 

I find out about St. George today!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

I met Jenny at Murray High for a track work out, only to find out that the track is completely torn up.  So, we had a change of plans.  We ran down to Murray Park and did a fartlek workout.  We ran 2 sets of 1-2-3-2-1 minute intervals with 1-1-2-1-1 minute recoveries.  We practiced the hill up to Vine St. on State St. so that we will be all ready for the Murray 5k.  The workout was a good mix of hills, soft surfaces, some trail, and some pavement.    Then, we cooled down back to Murray High School and hit 7 miles total.

I got into St. George Marathon.  I am both excited and extremely nervous! 

Comments
From Nan on Tue, May 14, 2013 at 10:07:41 from 98.245.117.176

Hey Emily! Congrats on getting in to St. George! Looks like your training is going well. How old is your baby now?

From Jake K on Tue, May 14, 2013 at 12:38:22 from 67.177.11.154

That's great... marathon debut! :-)

From emruns on Wed, May 15, 2013 at 08:49:30 from 76.27.114.171

Myles is three months old, so I'm just getting back into the swing of things. I'm not expecting miraculously fast times at St. George, but I thought it would be fun to run my first marathon with no pressure to hit certain times.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

I bought new running shoes yesterday.  When I got home, I looked and noticed that they didn't remove the security tag.  So, one more day with my old busted shoes.  I will have to take them back today.  On the upside, I also bought my first running skirt.  I loved running in it this morning.  It is so comfy, and I'm sure it makes my butt look cute . . . which is so important to running.

 

I ran 4800 S to the River trail and back to 1300 W via the nasty Winchester hill.  I felt terrible today.  I ran easy, but had no energy, a stomach ache, and I was so hot.  I need to remember to hydrate like crazy.  Between nursing and running and the hotter weather I need a lot more fluid.

 

We put an offer in on a house yesterday.  If we get it, the location might alter my routes by a whole quarter mile.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

I missed my run yesterday.  I spent the day working on the house, trying to get it ready to sell.  It was good cross training!  

I warmed up 20 minutes and then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  My splits were: 6:24, 6:12, 6:09, and 6:00.  Total time was 24:46.  Then, I cooled down until I hit nine miles.  61:04 total for nine miles.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.500.000.000.000.009.50

It was raining pretty hard this morning, so I changed my track workout into a treadmill workout.  I had planned on 5-6 x 1000 with 400 m recovery.  I improvised by running 8 x 3 minutes on/ 2 minutes off.  I warmed up 15 minutes, and then started at 10.0 mph.  I increased . 1 on every repeat, and ran the easy parts at 8.0 mph.  My goal was to keep my heart rate elevated.  The workout felt pretty good through 6 repeats.  The last two were pretty tough.  I cooled down until I hit 9.5 miles.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

I was up until about midnight trying to get the house ready for the carpet cleaners to come.  It's going to be a long month until we move.  So, I was a little tired this morning.  I enjoyed my run, though.  I ran up to Valley Park and did a big lap and then a small lap.  Then, I ran up to 62000 S, and then back on the Canal Road.  I forgot my watch, so I just ran easy.  

I was irritated by all of the cars that pull  out and only look left to see if cars are coming.  I thought I was going to be hit about 5 times in a mile stretch.  Geez, people! 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.250.000.000.000.008.25

I decided to try a new route today.  It wasn't a good one.  I ran a big loop, 2200 W to 3500S, over to 3200W, back to 5300S, and down to 1900W.  3500S had way too much traffic.  When I turned onto 3200W, I ended up running 3 miles on a long gradual uphill into the wind.  The uphill would have been okay, but the wind was killing me.  I did not enjoy my run today.  My legs are super tired.  I think I overdid it on Monday's workout.  Hopefully, tomorrow will go better.  Oh well.  Even a bad run is better than not being able to run at all! 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.750.000.000.000.008.75

I warmed up 3 miles and ended up at the Taylorsville High track.  Lucky me, there was a high school p.e. class "working out" on the track.  I want to be a high school p.e. teacher.  It doesn't take any work.  My favorite was the girl sitting on the grass, strenuously applying her makeup for the entire hour.  Then, there was the half-dressed girl who decided to sprint 100 meters right in front of me, and then abruptly stopped at the corner, while I kept going.  Yes, we collided.  At least Half Dressed Girl was actually working out a little bit.   And, of course a touch-football game was going on between the Shirts and Skins.  (Should I have told them that in 15-20 years those high school muscles will most likely be replaced by middle-aged love handles?)

 Anyway, I started with 4 x 200 as an extended warm-up while I dodged the p.e. class, who were jogging (walking) a mile.  Of course they were spread out across the track.

My workout was 1 mile, 2 x 800, and 4 x 400

1 mile: 5:49  800 recovery

800's:  2:49, 2:49  400 recoveries

400's :  81, 81, 80, 81  1:20 standing recovery

I cooled down 1.25 miles.  I still felt a little tired, but not as bad as yesterday.  I don't feel strong, though.  Time to add more core and upper body exercises. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

I only had time for a short run today.  6 miles, 4800S to River Trail.  Pretty morning.  Tired legs.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

I got up really early this morning to run since we have a full day of house showings.  We will be homeless for most of the day while strangers come peruse our home.  I'm not complaining though.  We have already received two offers on the house.  

I ran 1300 W to 9000S to 2700 W to 5400S.  It's kind of a boring loop, but has some good rollers and lots of convenience stores.  That's always important for impromptu potty stops.  I took a gu at about 7 miles.  I felt a burst of energy the last half hour of the run.  Of course, this may be more attributed to the fact that the wind was at my back and there was much more downhill.    Total time for run:  1:24:41 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.005.000.000.000.0010.00

I took advantage of Teren being home to do a threshold run at Liberty Park.  The park was busy this morning.  There was a 5k run/walk going on, so I did a lot of people dodging.  

I warmed up 3 miles.  Rob Murphy was doing a long run on the loop, so I ran a lap with him.  I ran a 5 mile tempo run.  My goal pace was 6:20 per mile.  I need to work on my pacing.  I ran 6:01, 6:02, 6:13,6:18,and 6:07.  Total time:  30:42.  I went out a bit too fast.  I will try to stay more consistent next time.  I never quite seemed to find my rhythm.  Still, 6:08 overall average makes me happy.  Now if I can only do that for 21 more miles . . .

I cooled down with Bill and a few of the East High kids who ran the race.  Then, as an added bonus, I went home with a loaf of bread, a package of bagels, and donuts.  There was a bread company giving away their goods at the race.  It was a nice bonus for my morning run! 

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Mon, May 27, 2013 at 11:09:57 from 24.10.249.165

We're on the same schedule today.

Nice workout. It's a little hard to get into a rhythm out there when it's so crowded don't you think? Lots of zig-zagging around walkers and joggers -especially today.

From allie on Mon, May 27, 2013 at 11:15:52 from 97.126.208.163

great tempo run, emily. and way to bring home the goods!

From MichelleL on Mon, May 27, 2013 at 17:11:59 from 42.3.85.107

Awesome. When did you have your baby? You are amazing.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.250.000.000.000.009.25

I ran an extended 4100S to River trail loop.  It was a nice cool morning, and my friend the pelican was floating on the river.  As a  added bonus, the rain kindly waited to fall until my run was over.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

1300W to river trail.  I felt pretty terrible this morning.  Hopefully I'll have a little more spring in my step tomorrow for my track workout.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.003.000.009.00

I warmed up three miles to Taylorsville High track.  I had the track all to myself this morning.  I ran an up and down ladder.  200-400-600-800-1000-800-600-400-200.  This sounded a lot easier in my mind than it was in execution.   I ran a 200 recovery after the 200's and 400's, and a 400 recovery after everything else.  

My times were:  36.81, 1:19.67, 2:03.69, 2:47.5, 3:33.79, 2:48.63, 2:04.03, 1:19.69, and 37.29.  I would have liked to keep my 1000 under 3:30, but overall I am pretty happy with this workout.  It's nice to see my fitness coming back little by little.  I cooled down the mile back to my house.  

Comments
From AngieB on Thu, May 30, 2013 at 13:38:12 from 159.212.71.77

Great Workout Emily! You are amazing how fast you came back in shape after your baby.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

Went to the club this morning for some mindless treadmill running.  Kept it nice and under control.  

I have doubled my mileage from last month. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
13.250.000.000.000.0013.25

I got off to an early start this morning since the baby woke up at 4:30 with a poopy diaper.  By the time I changed him and fed him, there was no point in going back to sleep, so out the door I went.  I ran down 2200W to 3500S, and then to the river trail.  It was a little chilly to start with, but warmed up about 7 miles into the run.  At about 7.5 I ate a honey stinger.  I'm finding that taking in some energy at 7-8 miles makes a huge difference in my ability to finish my long runs strongly.  

I came into very close contact with two geese and a fox on the dirt part of the trail.  The geese hissed  and the fox ran away.  Getting up close and personal with wildlife always makes me a little nervous.

I finished the last two miles at marathon pace (12:30 for the last two miles.)   

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Sun, Jun 02, 2013 at 21:31:21 from 24.10.249.165

I'm pretty sure that's what most mom's would do after changing a diaper at 4:45 AM - run a half marathon!

From emruns on Mon, Jun 03, 2013 at 09:07:16 from 76.27.114.171

If those moms wanted to run a decent marathon in October they would! Especially if first thing in the morning is the only time to get a workout in.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.350.000.000.000.009.35

I warmed up 2 miles and then ran a 6 mile tempo run.  I ran it on the treadmill, so it probably wouldn't be as fast outside; especially considering it is very windy outside today.  6:20, 6:10, 6:06, 6:03, 5:59, 5:50.  36:32 total time.  6:05-06 average pace.  I started at 9.7 mph and increased .1 every mile.    I cooled down 10 minutes to hit 9.35 total miles. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.200.000.000.000.006.20

Half an hour run followed by Zumba class.  I needed something a little different today.  Sorry, running purists, I'm giving myself 2 miles for the hour of dancing.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.250.000.003.000.009.25

Since I went pretty easy last night, I decided to do my track workout today instead of tomorrow.  I warmed up 3 miles to the track, and then did 4 200s.   I ran a ladder workout, 1600, 1200, 800, 400, and then 4 x 200 to finish.  I ran an 800 recovery after the mile, 400's after the 12, 8, and 4, and 200's between the 200's.  

1600:  goal pace:  5:45   actual pace: 5:37

1200:  goal pace: 4:15   actual pace:  4:12

800:  goal pace: 2:48   actual pace:  2:44

400  goal pace:  sub- 80   actual pace:  79

200's   38-39  ( My legs were pretty tired at this point.

1 mile cool down back to my house.  

 

I should Zumba every night  before a workout.  Today went really well. 

Comments
From Jake K on Thu, Jun 06, 2013 at 10:30:42 from 67.177.11.154

I think you should just zumba during the recoveries between intervals

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I had an early morning visit with Myles today.  We chatted for about an hour from 3:45-4:45.  I went back to sleep for a while, but it made for a groggy run.  I am sore from yesterday's workout!

  I ran an out and back on the river trail this morning.  I've been trying to run my easy runs easier since I have a tendency to push it too hard.  My plan for 10 miles turned into 8.

 

While I was syncing my i-pod yesterday, I stumbled onto Kara Goucher's running playlist.  It can be yours for the low price of 12.99 on itunes.  It was kind of fun to see what Kara listens to on her runs.   

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.500.000.000.000.009.50

It was a perfect morning, today.  I love early morning summer runs.  I ran 1300w to 7800S, down to Gardner Village and onto the river trail.  I left the trail at Millrace Park and ran through the neighborhoods home.  I toyed with the idea of adding in some fartlek work, but I was still feeling Thursday's track workout a bit.  Plus, tomorrow is my long run.  If I feel good on the long run I will throw some faster paced stuff into it.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
13.000.000.000.000.0013.00

I did not feel good today.  My stomach acted up again. I think it's time to revamp my diet to avoid stomach issues on my runs.  I ran the Canal road out to 2200W, to 4100S, down to the river trail, and back on the trail.  I felt all right for the first 7-8, but struggled over the second half of the run.  I kept wondering if this is what I'm going to feel like the last 6 miles of the marathon.  Then, I realized that I'll probably feel even worse.  Oh, well.  The run is over.  Time to head to Vegas for my mom's wedding.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.000.000.003.000.007.00

Because we are traveling, I decided to drop my mileage a bit this week.  Next week I will start to build into the sixty mpw  range.  

We are in Cedar City visiting Teren's sister.  Today we head to Las Vegas for my mom's wedding.  My legs were sore from sitting in the car yesterday, so I took my time warming up.  I wanted a workout with turnover, but not one that would kill me.  The point of this week is a little recovery.

I drove over to Cedar High School and warmed up on their cross country course, reliving fond memories of yelling at East High runners to run faster!   I tried to take advantage of the big grass field.  Then, I ran 1 mile of speed changes.  My workout was 12 x 400  with 90 seconds recovery  My times were:  80.8, 80.3, 79.6, 78.9, 79.7, 79.0, 78.8, 79.7, 78.4, 78.5, 78.8, 77.6.  I toyed with the idea of running 3 more, but decided not to.  

I cooled down for 10 minutes on the field again.

 

Vegas, baby! 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

I had no desire to run in 107 degree weather along the Las Vegas strip. So, I used the treadmill in the workout room.  My hips and hamstrings are sore from sitting in the car.  Traveling is a little hard on the body.  Plus, sharing a hotel room with three children does not allow for very good sleep.  

I ran an easy 45 minutes.  The guy next to me started to get competitive and raised his pace to 10.5 mph.  (Yes, I looked.)  Two minutes later he was at 6.0 mph.  Maybe he was doing intervals? 

Comments
From allie on Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 14:32:45 from 161.38.221.168

competitive TM runners are the best. if that guy only knew who he was up against. :)

have fun on your trip. 107F...yikes!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.750.000.000.000.007.75

Today I ran in my third city in three days.  We stopped to stay in the condos in St. George on our way home from Vegas.  I was so sluggish starting out, but felt better as I went along.  I was trying to find my way onto the river trail, but couldn't quite remember how to get there from the condo.  Oh well, there is no bad place to run in St. George.  It's one of my favorite places to run.  I hope that I am still saying that in October.  

So, after running aimlessly for about 20 minutes, I ran out Valley View into town, and then turned back.  It was a nice rolly run.  The hills weren't too bad, except for the nice climb back up to the condo.   

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

I am so glad to be home.  Traveling with three kids is exhausting!  We got in at about 11 last night.  My legs are sick of sitting in a car.  I had very tired legs on my run today.  

I got out running a little later than usual.  I ran at Murray Park.  I warmed up for 15 minutes, and then ran a fartlek workout.  1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 5 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min, with 1-1-2-2-3-2-2-1-1 recovery.  Then, I jogged until I hit an hour of running.  I like running in Murray Park.  The terrain is varied, and I can throw in some hills.  I ran some of it on the Murray Invitational Course.  Every time I run on one of the high school cross country courses, I gain a lot of respect for my high school team.  Those courses are not easy!

 

My recovery week is not leaving me feeling very recovered. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

I met up with the East High team at Liberty Park for a light workout today.  It's good to be starting cross country season!   We warmed up a lap and then ran 2 laps of firemen.  We finished with one more lap cool down.  The soft surface felt good, and my legs seem to be recovering from the Vegas trip!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
14.250.000.000.000.0014.25

I just couldn't leave my weekly mileage at 49.75.  So, I ran a little longer than 14.  I ran a new route, which was actually just a combination of routes.  I'm still a little sore in the hips and hamstrings, but my legs felt much fresher today.  

I ran  1300 W to 7800S, up to 2700 W, to 3800 S, over to 2200W, back to 5400S.  It was a nice, cool, beautiful summer morning.  

I start building up my mileage next week.   

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.003.000.009.00

Ugh.  My initial thought was that I was not quite recovered from Saturday's run and I should run easy today.  I should have stuck with that.  I did a track workout, and my legs were super fatigued.  I think I was a bit ambitious with my pace.  I could hold it, but there just wasn't that spark in my legs that makes a really good track workout.

I wanted to run 6-8 800's today.  I thought I could hit them all about 2:45.  I would probably have been a little more comfortable at 2:48-2:50.  I only got six in.  

I warmed up 3 miles and did 4 x 200.  My 800's were  2:43.6, 2:45.8, 2:45.12, 2:45.7, 2:45.9, 2:48.2 (I totally died!)  I ran a 400 recovery in between.  There was a nice headwind into the home stretch that made the workout even more fun!  Oh well.  It's done!  

I only had time for a mile cooldown back to the house.   

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.180.000.000.000.009.18

I'm really trying hard to stay consistent and dedicated with my training, even though I'm in the midst of craziness at home right now.  I'm feeling a little mentally off, and impatient with the rate that my fitness is returning.  I'm getting back into good shape, but then I get excited about running fast races again.  I keep trying to remind myself, that full fitness might not be back for at least a year.  I need to be patient and stay positive.

I was up until 11 getting the house ready for the appraisal today.  The, I had to finish up with cleaning this morning.  So, the kids had to got to the gym daycare while I ran on the treadmill.  9.18 miles in 65 minutes.  

Comments
From Carina on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 11:11:19 from 204.15.86.83

You are doing so awesome!! I would love to run 800's at your yesterdays pace ;) Seriously though, you are coming back fast and strong!!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.250.000.000.000.0010.25

Glad to have a running buddy today.  I ran down to the JRP to meet Jenny this morning.  I ran 7 with her, and then ran home.  Having someone to talk to make the time fly by much more quickly.  

Why is it that I can handle 8-9 miles on recovery days with no problem, but when I jump to ten it seems to get so much harder?  Weird.  Guess I just need some adaptation. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.006.000.000.000.0010.00

I went from running in 80 degree weather yesterday morning, to 50 degree weather today.  The cool weather felt nice, but it definitely took longer to get warmed up.  I also ran really early this morning, because we have to go close on our house.   

I ran a six mile tempo at Liberty Park.  I warmed up 2 miles, but probably could have used another mile to get really warm.  I think my first mile extended my warm up a bit.  I started a lot more slowly than the last time I ran a tempo at Liberty Park.  

Splits: 6:13.5, 6:04.3, 6:06.7, 6:09.4, 6:02.7, 5:59.3  Total time:  36:35.  I'm happy that I could finish strongly.  I think it shows that my endurance is improving.  About a 6:06 average pace.  

I like when I have workouts that help me believe that I might just actually run a strong marathon; that the training is starting to work.  I know not every tempo run will feel as good as today, but I've got to be really happy when it does!  

2 mile cool down.  Time to go buy a house!    

 

 

Comments
From Jake K on Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 12:31:36 from 67.177.11.154

That's a good tempo Emily. Like you said, they aren't all going to feel perfect... and its important to not force it too much on those days. But in the end, they all accumulate and stay a role in shaping the marathon fitness.

From AngieB on Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 13:00:57 from 65.130.75.29

Wow that's awesome Emily! Those are awesome splits. Great tempo! I would say your in shape:)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

Easy watchless run out 1300 W over to 7000 S, up to 2700 W, and back to 5400 S.  I am definitely feeling yesterday's tempo.  

My run is done.  Back to packing. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
15.500.000.000.000.0015.50

Early start to my run this morning.  Today is the big move into the new house, so I needed to get done.  I ran out 4800 S, to the river trail, out to Gardner Village, and back.  At around 11 miles I ran into Carol and some of her friends, so I ran about a mile and a half with them.  

Cole just stole and drank my entire post-run protein drink.  Nothing is sacred when you are a parent.  I guess he needed some good recovery from that strenuous Saturday morning cartoon watching! 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

New house and moving issues.  I didn't make it out to run.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.500.000.000.000.0012.50

3 mile warm up, followed by 3 sets of 5 min, 3 min, 2 min, with 3 min, 2 min, 1 min recovery.  Cool down on canal road back to home.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.000.000.000.000.0011.00

Made it half of a mile into my run, when I noticed there was a geyser coming from the lawn of our former residence.  So, I ran home to send Teren to the rescue.  Later I got a sitter and ran 10.5 at the health club.  I had a friend to talk to on the next treadmill, so it actually went fairly quickly.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.000.000.000.000.0011.00

Extra early morning.  Teren had to be at work by 7.  I warmed up 3 miles over to the track.  I ran 20 x 200 on/off.  They weren't spectacular.  I kept them between 39 and 40.  But, I was in trainers at 5 in the morning, so it was okay.  I could see the biggest difference in how long the jogs took in between.  It was a lot faster than last time I did a similar workout.  The total time for the 5 miles was 35:01.  I cooled down 3 miles after the workout. 

Comments
From Jake K on Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 10:41:30 from 67.177.11.154

I think the overall time for something like 12-20x200 is more important than what the fast splits are. I usually can tell that when I'm getting in better shape, the fast portions don't get all that much faster, but I end up running the recovery 200s a lot quicker and the total time drops quite a bit.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

7 miles easy, followed by Zumba.  I'm experimenting to see if taking a Zumba class before racing makes for a faster race.  Probably not, but it was fun anyway!

Comments
From runningafterbabies on Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 16:08:24 from 208.54.5.207

Back at it tomorrow! Very exciting. Which race are you doing for your big comeback?

Race: Taylorsville Dayzz 5k (3.1 Miles) 00:18:33, Place overall: 3, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.600.000.000.000.0011.60

Today was my first post-baby race.  I didn't even know what to set as a time goal, but I knew I could probably at least go under 19.  I thought 18:30 was likely, and 18:00 would be a big surprise.  Actually, my main goal was to come in second overall behind Teren.

 It's hard to gauge how this race really went.  I think Murray will be a better indicator of my fitness.  I warmed up 3 miles and did 6 30 second strides.  The race started about 5 seconds from the actual start/finish line.  This is the first race where I actually had a running start.  The run started through the park.  I missed a turn and had to backtrack.  This actually happened a couple times throughout the race.  The course was not marked very well.  It did a ton of turns through the neighborhood, and sometimes you couldn't tell where to turn until you were right up on it.  The first one I missed, I actually came to a complete stop and waited for the next person.

I was in second place throughout most of the race.  A Taylorsville High track graduate reeled me in during the third mile.  I knew there was no way I was going to outkick an eighteen year old boy who would never let a 35-year-old mother of three pass him.  So, I ended up third overall.

I really want my fitness to come back faster, but I keep telling myself, "Just get fit.  Next year will be a great year if I stay healthy."  But, I'm off to a good start.

 Teren and I ran the course again for a cooldown, and then ran 2 miles back home.

I don't think I'll do Zumba before a race again.

 

Comments
From Jake K on Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 10:19:28 from 67.177.11.154

You are off to a great start Emily!

From Andrea on Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 10:20:52 from 67.177.11.154

You are getting back into form nicely!

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 11:18:12 from 24.10.249.165

That's not a bad time. A few more races and you'll be back.

From Carina on Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 11:52:14 from 204.15.86.83

Go Emily, you are amazing!!

From Sasha Pachev on Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 12:42:35 from 65.130.24.64

Congratulations! I think you need the "Don't get chicked" shirt. I will be at the Murray Fun Days, and can bring one if you want it.

From seeaprilrun on Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 13:19:01 from 68.102.189.33

Great start!

From emruns on Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 14:10:19 from 67.186.252.90

Thanks, all! It's nice to be back racing . . . except for the fact that I forgot how badly it can hurt!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.250.000.000.000.0010.25

I warmed up to Millrace Park and ran 20 x 1 min on/off.  I ran on the loop by the dog park, and switched directions every 10 minutes.  My hips are pretty sore, so I didn't want to pound on the track.  I like this workout for getting some turnover, but still maintaining decent mileage.  I'm not sure how fast I was really going, since I felt pretty good the whole workout.  I'm trying to maintain some mileage, but still get ready for Murray 5k on Thursday.  Lots of stretching and foam rolling for the next couple of days.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

It was a nice morning and a pretty run, but I felt terrible!  I had an energy crash with about 2 miles to go.  I felt super slow, and yucky.  Here's hoping Thursday is a better day!  I need to focus on some rest and recovery.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

I'm feeling marginally better than yesterday.  My hips and hamstrings are still pretty tight, though the stretching/foam rolling seems to be helping.  They just don't want to fire because they are so fatigued.  

I jogged 2.5 miles over to the track and ran 2 miles of speed changes.  (total time for the 2 miles: 13:34)  Afterwards I jogged home.  I was really hungry again by the end of my workout, despite eating before my run.  I also need to concentrate on fueling well.  Nursing and running burn a lot of calories.  Running will go better when I'm finished nursing the baby. 

Race: Murray Days 5k (3.107 Miles) 00:18:29, Place overall: 1
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.110.000.000.000.009.11

I was nervous for this race, because I knew it would be a better measure of my fitness than Taylorsville Dayzz.  I was disappointed  that there wasn't a stronger women's field, because I wanted to really race and hopefully get pulled to a good time.  But, I'm still pretty happy with the outcome.  The last time I ran this race (non-pregnant) I ran an 18:21, so I wasn't too far off .  However, I do keep remembering 10 years ago when I ran this race for the first time and ran a 17:10.  Those were the days!

I warmed up three miles.  The rain cooled things down a bit, but made it humid.  I went out in a 5:53 for the first mile.  After the turnaround, I found myself alone, 30 seconds between two different men.  So, I spent two thirds of the race running by myself.  That made it difficult to push.  I went through the 2 mile in 5:54.  I knew it would get tough maintaining my pace up the hill to the park.  The three mile said 6:10, but then the last .17 was 31.  I think the mile three mark may have been off.   I don't think I can really finish in a 62 quarter pace.  Overall time was 18:29, which sounds so much faster than 18:30.  One more small step forward in improving my fitness.  

 I cooled down three miles and watched Cole run the kids race. 

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Thu, Jul 04, 2013 at 11:03:03 from 24.10.249.165

Nice job. Double win for the family. Couple hundred bucks - almost a weekend getaway.

From runningafterbabies on Thu, Jul 04, 2013 at 12:02:47 from 208.54.5.147

Trying to run fast on your own jyst plain stinks. This is a great time. Youll be back in the 17s soon!

From Jake K on Thu, Jul 04, 2013 at 12:05:16 from 174.251.19.211

You're coming back strong Emily!

From Sasha Pachev on Thu, Jul 04, 2013 at 14:05:04 from 72.250.218.114

Congratulations on the win and a decent time! The third mile marker was indeed misplaced - even though running that stretch in 31 is around a 72 quarter, not 62 - you have to remember that a mile is 1609.34 meters, not 1600. So the stretch from 3 miles to the 5 K finish is 5000-3*1609.34 = 171.98 meters, not 200. But it was off anyway - I did it in 29 seconds, and I know from the leg lift and turnover the pace was around 75-76 per quarter at best, not 68. I am estimating it was off by 3-4 seconds. So with that your third mile becomes around 6:06.

From Tara on Thu, Jul 04, 2013 at 14:26:20 from 75.169.138.91

Way to go!!

From MarkP on Fri, Jul 05, 2013 at 09:34:14 from 75.169.8.9

Nice race. Maybe later in the year I'll be able to keep you in site. Great win.

From allie on Fri, Jul 05, 2013 at 11:22:59 from 97.126.209.84

nice race, emily. making great progress every week.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.040.000.000.000.008.04

I went to the gym for a run and then Zumba.  Started to energy crash in zumba, even though I ate a gu in between my run and class.  I need to get these eating issues figured out.  Any nutrition advice?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
16.000.000.000.000.0016.00

5 a.m. sixteen miler.  I ran out 4800 to the River trail, past Gardner Village and back.  I felt pretty good this morning, though it was a little humid.  The wind kicked up just as I finished, so I went at the perfect time.  I'm sure I'll be ready to crash in a couple of hours.  

Comments
From allie on Sat, Jul 06, 2013 at 11:31:41 from 97.126.211.105

early start! great LR to end the week. we should meet up for some miles one of these days.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.000.000.000.000.0011.00

Another very early morning.  I think I actually started before 5.  I went over to the club so I could finish before Teren went out on his run.  As my mileage increases, it becomes more difficult for both of us to get our workouts in before he goes to work.  I kind of like it better in the fall when he runs on his lunch break.  It gives me more time in the morning.  I guess I need to hire some babysitters on some of these mornings.

I warmed up 2 miles.  Then, I ran a 45 minute tempo run.  My goal was to ease into it and make it the entire 45 minutes.  I started at 9.6 mph, and increased .1 every 5 minutes.  The first 15 minutes was nice and relaxed.  In fact, I felt great the entire first half hour.  the last 20 minutes was run under 6 minute pace.  I finished off the last 2 minutes under 5:40 pace.  7.43 miles in 45 minutes.  I ran 7 miles in 42:34, so 6:05 pace.  Of course, because it was a treadmill run, take the times with a grain of salt.  It should help my turnover to go a bit faster, though.

 I cooled down until I hit 11 miles.  When I got home I did some one legged squats and some lunges.   

Comments
From allie on Tue, Jul 09, 2013 at 08:08:26 from 161.38.221.168

that's a great tempo run. way to get all of that done at such an early hour.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.500.000.000.000.009.50

Rough start to the run.  My hips were so sore and tight, that I hobbled like an old lady for 2 miles.  Then, Emily got her groove back.  I felt pretty good, despite the soreness after that.  My aerobic capacity is rapidly improving.  Now, if my strength and speed would just catch up. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.250.000.000.000.009.25

I got a much better night's sleep than I usually do.  Nine whole hours!  I usually run off of about 6.  I think if I got better sleep, I would recover from runs better.  I miss the days when I would take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, and still get 8-10 hours at night.  Not happening these days.  I'm not even out partying.  I'm just taking care of my kids day and night.

I felt sluggish today.  My energy really faltered at 7-8 miles.  I took a cliff shot gel even though I only had a couple of miles left.   

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.000.000.000.000.0011.00

I warmed up 2.5 miles over to the track.  I did 4 x 200 to get some turnover.  My goal for the workout was 6-8 x 1000 with 400 meter recovery.  I wanted them around 3:30.  However, as long as I was hitting under 3:35 I would continue to do them.  I really wanted to hit eight of them.

This workout was tough.  It was hot and humid.  In addition, I had to dodge the football team.  The managers had kindly set up water in lane 1.  Thanks so much!  

Times: 3:27, 3:28.8, 3:28.9, 3:30.8, 3:29.4, 3:31.4, 3:30.8, 3:34.8.  (I may have done one too many.  My legs were shot by the last one.  

I just cooled down home.  My legs are so tired now.   

Comments
From allie on Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 09:52:55 from 161.38.221.168

great workout!

a few weeks ago i had to dodge a guy in lane one who was sitting in a lounge chair taking photos. you just never know what you will find at the track...

From Jake K on Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 11:19:57 from 67.177.11.154

That's good work Emily. Maybe one too many, but maybe not... it's not like you fell apart on the last one. I bet you had to dig a bit, which is what you need to do at the end of races. Sometimes the wheels start coming off and you just need to be able to hold on, and if you never practice that, its hard to make it happen in races.

From emruns on Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 11:43:16 from 67.186.252.90

That's what I thought, too, Jake. I was determined to get all eight it. That last one was some definite work. But, I hope that it was a mental victory that will pay off in a race at some point.

From Jake K on Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 11:46:28 from 67.177.11.154

Yeah I think there is something about finishing the full workout, within reason. If you fell off to 3:45, then that means something was wrong. But to only drop a few seconds, that just means you did the whole workout right on the correct level - a good overall judgement of effort on your part. And it was hard at the end like it should be! :-)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.250.000.000.000.007.25

Just enough easy running at Liberty Park to give me 65 miles for the week after my long run tomorrow!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
17.000.000.000.000.0017.00

This week has definitely been a mental challenge.  Thursday's 8 x 1000 was really tough, and I was still feeling it this morning.  Last night, Teren and I drove an hour and a half to have dinner with the young women from church at Girl's Camp.  After dinner and a devotional, it was already 10:30.  All I could think about was the 17 miles I needed to do today.  In hindsight, I probably should have just taken my camping stuff and slept up there.  Then, I could just get up and run in the Huntsville area, which would have been a nice change of scenery.

 So, after a late night, I was dragging a bit.  I ran out 1300 W to 104 S, right by the Jordan River Temple.  Then, I ran up to 2700 W.  When I turned onto 2700 W, I picked up the pace for a few miles.  I had to add a loop through the neighborhood to get 17, because the actual course is only 16.  Miles 15-17 were pretty tough.  

 I'm trying to stay focused, which is tough with three kids.  I know that I need every quality training session that I can get, since I'm still regaining fitness.   I keep telling myself to stick with it; that the long term focus is next year or even the year after.  I'm happy to be done with this week, and happy I didn't give myself excuses. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
15.000.000.000.000.0015.00

This is the week that I start throwing in some double runs.  I wanted to front-load this week, and then start backing off a bit on Thursday.  I'm running the Draper Days 5k, and then Deseret News Half Marathon.  I didn't want two weeks of lowered mileage, so I'm planning on keeping this week in the 65-70 range.  That might mean a sluggish Draper Days, but I'm trying to keep the marathon as the major focus.

AM: 4 miles easy.  I forgot what it was like to only run for half an hour.   

 PM:  I wanted a workout somewhere between a tempo run and intervals.  I decided on 3 x 2 mile repeats with half mile recovery in between.  I warmed up three miles before the workout.  

12:00.3, 11:47.2, and 11:40.7  I cooled down until I hit 11.  

2 more long days.  I can do this.

 

Comments
From runningafterbabies on Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 10:20:00 from 174.52.130.66

Great plan!

From Jake K on Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 11:00:54 from 67.177.11.154

I like the plan too. Andrea and I were talking about this last night... some of these steeper downhill 1/2s are really hard on your legs... UNLESS you are running StG, in which case they are sort of essential. You need to get a couple of them in during the summer to make sure your ready for that marathon.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
15.250.000.000.000.0015.25

AM:  1300W to 7000S to river trail and up 4800S.  Even though I felt slow, I ran this route almost two minutes faster than last week.  

PM:  I resisted the temptation to take a Zumba class instead of going running.  My legs are tired, but seemed to perk up a bit after about 25 minutes.  It was nice and overcast.  The lightning started flashing during the last five minutes of my run.  I'm glad that I finished before the storm hit.

 

One more hard day! 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.500.000.000.000.0010.50

I warmed up 3 miles over to the track.  My legs are so tired.  I ran 20 x 200 on/off.  I ran 38-39 for all of them.  My overall time for 5 miles was 34:49, which was about 11 seconds faster than last time I ran this workout.  I cooled down 2.5 miles back home.  Crawling would have been faster.  I am in desperate need of an ice bath.  I am seriously debating whether to run this afternoon or not.  

I was crashing by the end of my cool down.  I've been struggling with maintaining enough caloric intake.  I feel like I'm eating constantly, but running and nursing burn it all up really quickly.  How do all of you high mileage runners maintain enough energy?  Do you just eat all day long? 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.250.000.000.000.008.25

My legs were slightly recovered today.  Hopefully I can get some bounce back by Saturday.  4100 S to River Trail.  That's all I have to report.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

I had more spring in my step today when I ran.  I love the 6-7 mile distance.  It's just long enough.  I enjoyed my morning run, and am feeling a lot better about running a race tomorrow.  Then, three days recovery running until Deseret News Half Marathon.  I'm an early riser, but even I am dreading getting up that morning!

 

Comments
From allie on Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 10:39:19 from 97.117.85.152

you have to define your pre-des news sleep as napping -- otherwise it's just too painful of a wake-up call. :)

see you tomorrow.

Race: Draper Days 5k (3.107 Miles) 00:18:01, Place overall: 2
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.110.000.000.000.009.11

I'm pretty happy with how this race went.  Of course, I always want to do better.  Isn't that how all runners are?  I'm especially happy that I kept my mileage up this week.  I know that I have a ways to go to be considered high mileage. but my consistency is improving.  I'm glad to see my fitness improving.  

I warmed up 3 miles with Allie and James.  I'm really nervous and chatty before races, so I'm sure they got an earful.  The race started about five seconds back from the actual start line.  What is up with that?  It funneled down quickly.  It was kind of a hairy start.  I got out quickly with Devra, and we traded leads through the first two miles.  We went through the 2 mile in 11:10.  I thought I had sub-18 in the bag.  However, the last mile is a long gradual uphill.  I lost a lot of time.  Devra pulled ahead shortly after the two mile, and I didn't match her.  I admit to getting complacent in the last mile.  Though, I was definitely feeling the pain.  I was kicking myself when I hit my watch at 18:01 for the finish.  I could have broken 18 without the mental lag.  Something to work on next time.  

Devra and I cooled down three miles.  Then, I watched my little guy, Cole run a blazing 10:43 mile race!   He tried so hard!  When we went to awards, I got left out.  My chip didn't register at the start.  So, they didn't have an official time.  I claim the 18:01.  This actually happened to me a couple of years ago, too.

I'm thrilled with the improvements.  Deseret News will be a big test, but I'm looking forward to it!   

 

Comments
From allie on Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 10:21:31 from 97.117.85.152

nice job today, emily. especially after a big week of training. you are really building strength with these hard efforts on fatigued legs. it was nice to see you this morning and get in a couple of warm-up miles with you. i think i ran the same pace in the race as we did in the warm up. :)

best of luck on wednesday -- i'm sure you will have a great race.

From Jake K on Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 10:26:13 from 67.177.11.154

Really nice, consistent, improvement lately Emily. You're looking great, just be patient... don't try to force it... and just stay healthy. Do that, and you're going to be killing it the rest of this summer and the fall.

From Andrea on Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 10:44:05 from 67.177.11.154

Great race today! Your improvement in the last couple months has been really impressive. Just take it easy the next few days and you'll be in good form for the half on Wednesday.

From MichelleL on Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 10:53:43 from 97.117.93.142

Nice job Emily. I look forward to seeing you continue to improve. Good luck on Wednesday.

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 10:56:33 from 24.10.249.165

Congrats to Cole. Watching your kids run is tons of fun.

Good racing between you and Devra. She's tough!

From SpencerSimpson on Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 14:56:31 from 68.66.165.182

nice race today Em. Great training week too. Good luck again at DES NEWS!

From MarkP on Sun, Jul 21, 2013 at 10:47:00 from 65.130.116.119

Great race. The kids race is so much fun!

From AngieB on Sun, Jul 21, 2013 at 15:32:24 from 174.251.18.212

Awesome race Emily! You are coming along so strong.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

My legs were more tired than I thought they would be this morning.  I must have run pretty hard on Saturday.  Oh well.  I'll still be ready on Wednesday.  Now, I just want it to get here!  

I met Jenny at Murray Park.  We warmed up 2 miles and then ran 10 x 1 minute on/off.  We didn't go crazy, just enough to get some faster turnover.  Then we cooled down around the park.  

Stretching and foam rolling time! 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.000.000.000.000.005.00

Easy pre-race shakeout run.  My legs feel pretty good.  My hips are still tight, but felt way better by the end of the run.  I'm ready for tomorrow.  Excited, but really nervous!!!!

Comments
From allie on Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 08:48:54 from 161.38.221.168

good luck tomorrow. channel those nerves and convert them to super-racing energy. i think you are ready for a great race. have fun.

From AngieB on Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 19:41:43 from 65.130.95.10

Good luck tomorrow Emily! You are going to do great. It will be great seeing ya out racing again:)

Race: Deseret News Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:16:24, Place overall: 1
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
16.100.000.000.000.0016.10

I'm super excited with how the race went today!  It was a great step in terms of my progress.  However, it may be one of the more painful races that I have run.

I woke up at 2:30 and thought, "The hardest part of the day is over.  Getting out of bed."  I got ready for the race and fed the baby.  

At 4 a.m I was on the bus wondering why I was doing this, and wondering if it was too late to switch to the 10k.  

5 a.m:  Sitting in the middle of a dark canyon and wondering again why I was doing this.

I warmed up with a mile up the canyon and back to the start.  That was actually pretty incredible.  It was beautiful up there.  Of course, that was the last time I actually looked at the scenery.

 I got out comfortably, but got a little nervous when the first mile said 5:27.  But, I thought I would roll with it and use the downhill to my advantage.  

Mile splits:  5:27, 5:42, 5:39, 5:37, 5:38, 5:31, 5:32, 6:06 (no more downhill,) 5:46.(back on!), 6:00.19  (feeling pain!), 6:13 (wheels came off.  holding on for dear life.)  13: 12 (last 2.1)  I was so happy to be done, and so happy not to get caught in the very long march to the finish line!  

I'm thrilled with my time.  I conservatively wanted to run under 1:20.  Of course, I'm so happy with the win.  And, I learned that if I go out too hard at St. George, I'm going to be in a world of hurt.  The last 3 miles were horrible today!  

I tried to cool down, but my 4 lovely blisters wouldn't let me.  Later I did about a mile of a hobble-jog.  I think I will be cross training tomorrow! 

Comments
From Jake K on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 10:44:54 from 67.177.11.154

Great job Emily! You are really coming into great form... happy to see it.

From runningafterbabies on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 10:45:58 from 174.52.130.66

Woohoo! This is a great place to be on your buildup for St. George. Great job today, Emily!

From RileyCook on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 11:08:14 from 174.52.234.49

Congrats Emily. That's a great time. It sounds like we had similar races in that the last three miles was a death march!

From emruns on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 11:11:23 from 67.186.252.90

It was HORRIBLE! Glad I'm not the only one who felt the pain! Congrats on your race, Riley.

From Andrea on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 11:17:17 from 70.208.0.222

Great race this morning! Congrats on the win :) Your progress is very encouraging to me. Keep it up!

From Susannah on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 15:38:54 from 98.202.89.137

Congrats on the win, Emily!

From Brandon on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 15:39:01 from 160.7.242.251

Nice to meet you today and super strong race! Congrats on the W!

From allie on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 20:49:49 from 97.117.88.144

great race today -- so solid. congrats on the win.

From AngieB on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 08:03:37 from 199.190.170.29

Great race Emily! Keep it up. You are going to rock St George.

From josse on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 13:21:48 from 174.251.16.222

Way to stay strong at the end. Great job on the win!

From MichelleL on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 20:21:22 from 97.117.87.12

Great job Emily! great to see you getting back into it. Watch out Utah. I didn't know you were going to do St. G. It is good to aware of the danger of the last 3 miles of St. G. They have chewed me up and spit me out both times I have run it. But if you keep the end of this race in mind, you will run it more wisely than me :D

From Tara on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 22:33:57 from 75.169.138.2

After reading last week's race, I knew you were going to have a good race today. Very nice start to your comeback! See you at SGM!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.000.000.000.000.004.00

So. Much. Pain.  My quads hurt so badly.  I thought that I would warm up a little bit on the bike and then try for an easy run.  I biked for 20 minutes, and then tried running.  No go.  The impact is so intense.  So, I got on the cross trainer for half an hour for 50 minutes total cross training.  I'll give myself four miles for it, just to keep tabs on what I am doing.  

I went from feeling elated over yesterday's run, to being worried about recovering in time to continue with enough marathon training to run well in October.  I thought that I would bounce right back.  Silly me!   I have ten weeks until the marathon.  A little recovery time shouldn't hurt, right?  

I stretched and took a 15 minute ice bath when I got home.  I felt a little better afterwards, but walking (especially down stairs) still hurts. A lot!  Any recovery advice out there?

 

Comments
From allie on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 12:36:34 from 161.38.221.168

i think this is the perfect time to take a down week or two. you had a really good race yesterday, showing you are on the right track and in really great shape. let that sink in and give your body some time to absorb all the training you've been putting in for the past couple of months. you still have plenty of time before st. george. just make sure you fully recover -- be patient and overly cautious with those quads. i've injured myself on more than one occasion trying to push too much after des news. it does some serious damage and your body just needs some time to heal.

as for recovery -- i've found the best thing to do is walk. it hurts, but it speeds up the recovery process and still allows you to get your body moving and the blood flowing without any real strain on the muscles. ice baths are great as well, but i'm not that brave. :)

From allie on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 12:40:36 from 161.38.221.168

about the stairs -- i'm currently in the one-step-at-a-time-like-a-toddler phase. and i can't stand up or sit down without holding on to something. i aged 90 years overnight.

des news!

From RileyCook on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 12:52:31 from 132.3.57.80

I ran the Bryce Canyon half a week and a half ago, which has a similar elevation drop to this half, and I was sore for almost a full week. It was like I had run a marathon.

But today after yesterday's half I feel pretty decent actually. I even ran four miles yesterday afternoon. So either the pounding from Bryce prepared the quads for yesterday or the same-day run later in the evening broke up some of the lactic acid and helped the recovery process. Or maybe both, it's hard to say for sure. But I have to believe that waiting 8 hours or so after the race and then breaking up the lactic acid and trying to flush it out with a shakeout jog (before letting it sit overnight) has got to help.

Whichever it is, I think you can benefit from. Either this one will prepare your quads for some downhill training/racing in the next few weeks (which if you're running St. George is a must) or you can try a shakeout run after your next downhill pounding and see if that aides in the recovery process.

From Jake K on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 17:13:21 from 174.251.18.154

You have plenty of time. Take an easy week. Half marathons can actually be a huge fitness booster, provided you let yourself actually recover. I think it takes a good week to be able to do another quality run. Don't try to force it. You haven't run THAT fast for so long in a long time. It will take a little time to recover. Start slow when you start running again the next couple days.

From fiddy on Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 08:24:06 from 97.126.223.134

Soreness after a race is not caused by lactic acid but microtears in the muscles. You can't 'flush out' those tears. You have to let them heal. You want to do things that improve blood flow, such as compression.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.000.000.000.000.005.00

I went over to the park by my house and ran for 20 minutes.  I was super slow, but my muscles did warm up.  Everything felt okay, besides the fatigue.  My left achilles tendon is very tender and didn't like the impact.  It's the opposite one from the one I tore.  I guess I need matching achilles owies.  About 2.5 miles if I'm being generous.

After running I went and took Zumba.  I lined up between the eighty year old woman, and the man on oxygen.  I tried hard to keep up.  I call 2.5 more miles for arthritic looking dancing.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.000.000.000.000.004.00

I'm starting to feel a lot better.  I ran some grass loops in the park, and then finished up my run with a big loop through the neighborhood.  There's still no power in my legs, but at least it doesn't feel as if my legs are going to shatter with the impact.  My left achilles seemed to do a lot better than yesterday.  I had some booty lock going on in my right hip, but I actually feel as if I might survive the half marathon.  Right now my plan is just to increase the mileage over the next week, with the goal of a long run next Saturday.  Unless I start feeling amazing, I don't think I will start any harder workouts until next Monday.  I just want to be cautious.  

Hopefully, I can squeeze in some cross training later today.   

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

I ran a little longer run today.  I went out 4800S to the river trail and over to Winchester.  I ran up Winchester to 1300 W, and back to 5400 S.  I'm feeling better and better, but still not all the way back.  My quad muscles aren't killing me anymore, but my right hip was tight through the entire run.  Even a slight downhill is still not fun to run.  I never thought I would appreciate a little uphill running so much.

PM:  4 miles on the treadmill at the club.  Myles is now old enough to go to the gym daycare.  Yay!

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.250.000.000.000.009.25

I made it to six miles before the fatigue set back in.  That is better than yesterday, when I started to fatigue at 4.  I'm still very tired!  I'm jealous of those who are already back to doing workouts.

4100 S to river trail, back at Bullion.   

Comments
From Jake K on Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 09:12:55 from 67.177.11.154

Don't worry... its still July. You've got a lot of time. Even if you have to push back workouts a bit more, you need to remember in the back of your head that you just ran 1:16 on a STG-type course. Keep getting the miles in this week, and aim for a longer weekend run if you can.

From AngieB on Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 14:08:48 from 174.239.99.207

I hear ya on the fatigue. I got to 5 today and felt so fatigued and pushed through to 8 miles. I'm holding off workouts til nxt week I think.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.000.000.000.000.004.00

Cross training day.  I could still feel my achilles tendon this morning, so I decided to play it safe.  It actually felt pretty good on my body not to be pounding.  I was so bored, though!  I only made it 45 minutes on the elliptical.  

I did 3 sets of ecentric  calf raises in the morning, and again at night. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

I was reading training blogs last night, and freaked myself out worrying that I'm not going to be ready for St. George.  It's kind of weird to care so much about something that started out as a fun little venture to get myself into shape.  The marathon is such a huge investment of time and training, that I really want it to pay off in a great race.  

My achilles is starting to feel better.  I could feel it slightly for the first 10 minutes of running, but it warmed out.  I warmed up 20 minutes over to Valley Park.  My workout was 3 x (1min, 2 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min) with (1-1-2-1-1-) recovery.  I don't think I was very fast, but it felt good to get some turnover, and I actually felt a lot better afterwards.  I cooled down until I hit 10.  I wanted 1-2 more, but had to get Myles to the doctor.  I may stick with fartlek for a couple more workouts.   

Comments
From Rachelle on Thu, Aug 01, 2013 at 12:44:37 from 159.212.71.69

Fartleks are such a great way to get speed work in without forcing a certain target pace. I love them and think they are very beneficial to marathon training. Great workout and don't doubt yourself for a second. I think you are right where you need to be going into SGM while balancing a family.

Believe in yourself because I sure as heck do!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
20.000.000.000.000.0020.00

Jenny needed to do her long run today, so I decided to go with her to have a running partner.  It was tough.  I've only run 17-18 on my long runs.  20 doesn't seem like that big of a jump, but when I hit the 2 hour mark, my body stopped being efficient.  Slowing down the pace may be easier, but running longer time-wise means your body has to become more energy efficient for a longer period of time.  The first 20 miler is always a tough one.  Then, they get a bit easier.  We still averaged somewhere around 7:25 per mile.  I felt great until 16-17.  

I'm glad to have it done.  Next week I hit the Magna out and back.  Worst. Run. Ever.  But, great training for downhill marathons. 

Comments
From Jake K on Fri, Aug 02, 2013 at 09:35:24 from 67.177.11.154

20 is as much of a mental jump as a physical one. You had a good week... got the overall mileage right up close to your highest weeks so far, and capped it w/ a 20 miler. That's solid!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.000.000.000.000.005.00

Five easy.  It was kind of nice to have a laid back Saturday.  I went and watched Teren run in the corporate games "5k" (and I use that term very loosely!).  I got to watch Andrea run, too!  

Mileage goal for next week:  70.  Slowly, but surely I'm climbing higher!

I feel a lot better after a twenty miler than I did last week after the half marathon. 

Comments
From allie on Sat, Aug 03, 2013 at 10:57:06 from 97.126.221.66

you are being really smart about your mileage progression.

nice long run yesterday. another great week of training for you!

From Andrea on Sat, Aug 03, 2013 at 14:21:45 from 67.177.11.154

Good to talk to you today!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

My workout was abbreviated this morning.  I planned on 10-12 x 3 min on, 2 min off.  I warmed up two miles and started my workout heading south on the river trail.  I was in my third interval, right before Millrace Park, when a man jumped out and punched me.  He started yelling at me about getting his money.  I didn't  even know what to do, but was so glad when he kept going in the other direction.  I stopped the first person I saw with a phone and called 911.  After the police came, I just ran home.  I'm very shaken up, now.  But, when I get it together, I might try to head over to the gym.  I will post if I hear anything about the police getting the guy.  I hope they do.  That was the scariest thing to ever happen to me.  Please, please, be careful running out there.

Comments
From runningafterbabies on Mon, Aug 05, 2013 at 09:11:07 from 174.52.130.66

I am so sorry, Em! Wow that is freaky. I hope they get the guy too.

From Andrea on Mon, Aug 05, 2013 at 09:15:57 from 72.37.171.52

Wow, super scary. I'm so glad you're okay!

From AngieB on Mon, Aug 05, 2013 at 11:05:10 from 70.103.189.14

So scary! Glad your ok.

From allie on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 06:15:33 from 97.117.82.154

that is scary stuff. i'm sorry that happened and i'm so glad you are okay.

From Andy on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 11:43:38 from 199.190.170.22

Just read the KSL article about this. Glad you are alright.

From Kam on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 12:03:09 from 68.66.163.179

Yikes! What a rotten way to get on ksl. Glad you are all right.

From Tara on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 13:23:01 from 141.0.11.221

Also saw the article. So sorry to hear that. I always think I can run away from people, but your experience reminds us that you never know when someone will surprise you. Most of us would have been in shock too. Good job knowing what to do after the attack and calling the police. So glad your safe.

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 13:37:43 from 24.10.249.165

I'm sure glad you're OK Emily.

From SpencerSimpson on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 14:39:03 from 63.82.19.2

wow, not cool...

From Kass on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 17:36:34 from 69.169.144.172

That is a terrible experience. So sorry that had to happen to you!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Just went to the health club this morning to run on the treadmill.  Still freaked out by yesterday.  

Comments
From Jake K on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 10:49:36 from 67.177.11.154

Saw your KSL story. I'm mainly just glad you are OK. Man, if that had happened when my group was running through (which really must have been +/- a short period of time from when it happened) I would have had a pack of 10 x 125 lbs high school boys raining a thousand blows upon that idiot.

From Carina on Tue, Aug 06, 2013 at 20:47:05 from 204.15.86.83

I am so sorry about yesterday, I hate that freaks have to ruin it for all of us!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I met Devra early at Cottonwood Complex for a tempo run.  We were originally going to run it on the Parkway, but changed locations.  My plan was 8 miles.  We ran a loop around the complex.  1100 E to 4500 S, to 1300 E, to 3900S.  It was a hillier route than I usually do for tempos, so I knew it would be slower.  I felt that if I could get in at least a 6:30 per mile groove, that would be good.  

I felt awful from the start.  I went through 2 miles at 12:56.  On pace, but I was already breathing really hard.  Then, the time just started to fall off from there.  I stopped at 4.  I was at 26:30 at that point, and felt like I was digging myself in a hole.

 I don't know what is wrong with me.  I just overall feel crappy; physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I'm just completely drained.  I wish I could pinpoint exactly what I could do to feel better.  Do I rest? or just push through?   And, how do I get to feeling excited and happy about running again?  or even just life in general?

Oh, this is such a happy post! 

 

 

Comments
From Jake K on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 07:29:04 from 67.177.11.154

It was a tough start to the week for you... mentally draining to say the least. I don't know which direction to push you in, other than saying that in my own experience, sometimes just getting through the "lows" (even if it means just jogging for a couple days and skipping some harder runs) makes you stronger in the longer term.

That's a tough tempo route. I do most of mine inside the block just east of cottonwood complex. There is a flat, no-traffic area --> http://goo.gl/sl2yUB

From emruns on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 07:55:49 from 67.186.252.90

Thanks, Jake. Your encouragement and feedback has been really helpful.

From allie on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 08:59:46 from 161.38.221.168

i have never experienced anything close to what you went through on monday, but i can only imagine that took a lot out of you. i'm really sorry that happened.

i agree with jake in that just taking it easy for a few days could really help. just do a few days of super easy running -- no worries about pace, mileage, workouts, etc.

i attempted a tempo run two weeks out from des news, and i had to bail at three miles because i was feeling so terrible. it happens, and i think it's best that you stopped if you felt you were digging a hole. this was one workout in the middle of a tough week for you -- don't sweat it, you will bounce back.

From AngieB on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 09:12:31 from 174.239.101.92

Hey Emily I had that same experience yesturday w a speed workout w my friends and is what I'm thinking is I'm still recovering from des news half. That was both our first halfs this year. I do take a lot longer than most to fully recover and feel good. Take some easy run days then try it again. Some R&R will pay off.

From Rachelle on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 09:54:12 from 199.190.170.28

Definitely all great advice above. Your body is trying to tell you something and you listenned which is awesome. Take a few down days and just run for fun without any pressure. You are still bouncing back from Des News, you have a baby at home and probably aren't getting enough sleep, and you experienced something very traumatic on Monday. You have plenty of time to prepare for SGM and one off day is really no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 11:51:26 from 67.177.11.154

I hope I don't come off as giving you too much advice. I think we have some similar characteristics- talent, and the capacity to work really hard... sometimes our biggest danger is trying to do too much, because we can. I'm still trying to learn to relax and trust the process, and not force too much.

I also really want to see you DOMINATE st george! :-)

From emruns on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 12:00:24 from 67.186.252.90

No, I really trust and appreciate your input (as well as everyone else's). I'm trying to remind myself that when I started this marathon training, I was doing it to get in shape and to enjoy the process. That was working well. It's only after Deseret News that I started putting the pressure on myself. Monday definitely didn't help. But, it's time to get back to that approach and stop worrying so much about outcomes.

I love the blog for all the positive input and energy. It feels nice to be supported.

From runningafterbabies on Wed, Aug 07, 2013 at 17:15:13 from 174.52.130.66

Em - this is just a blip in the road. It's easy to let a bad or missed wo mess with your head, but let's face it - you are in terrific shape and still gaining fitness. A few easy days should help the mind and the body to heal (with no fitness lost) and you'll be feeling yourself in no time at all.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

Today was a much better day!   I felt like I should get back on the horse and try another workout.  I needed to get yesterday out of my head.  I warmed up 2.5 miles to the track, and then ran 4 x 200.  My plan was 5-6  x a mile in 6:00- 6:05 (10 seconds faster than marathon pace.)  I didn't want to stress myself too much.  I wanted a workout that I knew that I could accomplish.  I made 5 x a mile.  They were: 5:49.7, 5:52.9, 5:50.66, 5:53.25, 5:52.9.  My body seemed to like 87-88 pace today.  I know that fresher I could run in the 5:40-5:45 range, but I really concentrated on relaxing and staying under control.  I started to feel like I was digging deeper on the last one, so I called it good at 5.  This workout was more for my mental well-being than anything.  My recovery was 400 meters, which was usually around 2:20-2:30.  I cooled down 2.5 miles back to my house.  There is nothing like a good track workout to help the confidence.  

 

Running is so much more than just a sport.  I felt like I was actually healing, today.  I felt more determined than ever to make it to the starting line of the marathon.  This marathon is more than just another race.  It is the culminating event of a very long, difficult journey.  There have definitely been some setbacks this week, but I feel more capable today of overcoming them.  I'm excited again for this process. 

Comments
From Andrea on Thu, Aug 08, 2013 at 10:13:48 from 72.37.171.52

Great effort today Emily! Nothing like a hard track workout to clear your doubts and mentally regroup from a tough week.

From Rachelle on Thu, Aug 08, 2013 at 10:22:37 from 159.212.71.69

Awesome! Great job at nailing the workout, feeling confident, and embracing the process. You are absolutely on the right track. :)

From Carina on Thu, Aug 08, 2013 at 10:27:00 from 204.15.86.83

Love it!! Way to get out there and kick it!

From Jake K on Thu, Aug 08, 2013 at 10:35:46 from 67.177.11.154

Way to go Emily. Great workout, and even better perspective.

From allie on Thu, Aug 08, 2013 at 12:58:30 from 161.38.221.168

in your face, yesterday's workout! (and yesterday's comments from all of us) :)

way to get right back out there and smash through those "drained" feelings from yesterday.

i'm glad you are feeling confident and determined again.

From MichelleL on Fri, Aug 09, 2013 at 22:54:21 from 42.3.85.107

I am glad you are healing and finding joy in the running. It has been quite the challenge for you to get to the starting line, it will make it all the sweeter.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

I went to Liberty Park this morning for some soft surface running.  I ran 3 laps in one direction, turned around, and ran 3 laps in the opposite direction.  Then, I ran through the middle of the park to find Teren and the kids.  It was a family affair this morning.  It's sad that everyone looks like a potential rapist to me, now . . . even the little 80 year old man watering his lawn.  I hope that wears out eventually.  I did, for the most part, feel nice and safe in the park.  Lots of people around!  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
20.000.000.000.000.0020.00

Devra came over to my house for a long run.  Originally, I had planned on running out in Magna.  However, I'm still nervous about isolated places, and Devra had to get to work.  So, we just ran from my house.  We ran a big rolly loop, out 1300 W, to 10400S, up to 2700 W, all the way out to 4100 S, over to 2200 W, and back up to 5400S.  Total time for the run was 2 hours and 20 minutes.  7:00 per mile pace.  I felt much better than last week.  I think Deseret News is finally leaving my legs.  It was a good negative split run.  

This week has ended much better than it started.   

Comments
From allie on Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 09:55:12 from 97.126.222.234

solid run today. i'm glad your week ended on a good note.

From Kass on Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 10:14:53 from 98.202.223.143

You haven't missed a thing! Great job Emily.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
3.008.000.000.000.0011.00

I warmed up 2 miles and then ran an 8 mile tempo run, today.  I was tempted to wait one more day before a hard effort, but felt pretty good.  This is the hardest workout of the week besides the long run, so I think it is ok that I pressed hard.  

This tempo was progressive.  I wanted to ease into it.  6:23, 6:18, 6:08, 6:04, 5:59, 5:56, 5:51, 5:44.  The last 10 minutes were really hard.  Yes, this was done on a treadmill.  Total time: 48:19.  6:03-04 pace.  I ran a quick mile cool down.  Next week I will take it outside for a real tempo.  Allie and Andrea?  want some company?

I lost my voice this past weekend, some kind of weird virus.  I thought it would affect my running more, but I seem to be holding together all right.  My kids are happy that I can't yell at them! 

Comments
From Rachelle on Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 09:40:15 from 159.212.71.17

Awesome workout Emily!

From Kass on Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 10:04:01 from 98.202.223.143

Nice progression Em! I'd love to join you one of these days for a workout..... Lets plan it

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.500.000.000.000.0011.50

Okay, I lied.  This virus is starting to kick my butt.  I felt all right running today, just not very speedy.  That's okay, though.  It was supposed to be recovery.  I ran my Costco loop backwards, and added on up to 6200S, and back on the canal road.  There was a long gradual uphill for about 2 miles.  It was good practice for the long hill from miles 7-8 at St. George.

Last night Cole prayed that "Mommy's body would feel better."  Amen, Little Man! 

 

PM:  2 miles at East High's alumni fun run.  I chatted with Carol while Gene pushed Myles in the jogging stroller.  Easy 8 min/mile shakeout. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 09:46:12 from 159.212.71.17

Nice run Emily. Feel better soon!

From Jake K on Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 09:55:25 from 67.177.11.154

Aww what a cute little guy. Hope you feel better.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

I probably really needed one more day before running a workout, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run with Allie and Devra.  We met at Sugarhouse Park for a workout.  I wanted to run 30 x 1 min on/off.  None of us were feeling to fresh, so it got shortened to 20 x 1 min on/off.  I tried to keep up, but got a little flat on the last 4.  That's okay, though.  I'm sure I ran a lot faster with these girls than I would have on my own.  The uphill/downhill was good strength training, too.  Monday's tempo trashed me a bit more than I thought it would.    2 mile warm-up and 2 mile cool down.  

Comments
From allie on Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 08:48:07 from 161.38.221.168

thanks for the run. i'm really glad we didn't do 30 :)

running those in SHP is tough. if the uphill is "on", it's hard. if the uphill is "off" you don't get much of a recovery. it was definitely a good strength builder.

i just looked at your workout again from monday -- that was really a great effort and it's understandable that you still had some lingering fatigue today. two good workouts this week and it's only wednesday!

From emruns on Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 09:12:37 from 67.186.252.90

Well, thanks for the butt-kicking today, Allie. I'm not stressed about it. It was a really good workout. Sugarhouse is pretty hard to do fartlek in, but that's why I wanted to run there. I need some more strength running! Running with fast partners always makes you better, too!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.500.000.000.000.0010.50

AM:  I met Jenny at Murray Park for our Murray Park/Wheeler Farm run.  I think this is one of my favorite runs.  I like getting on the soft surfaces, and there's enough variety that the run doesn't get boring.  Plus, Jenny is great company.  I really enjoyed this morning.  We ran 6.5, and then I finished with two more miles in Murray Park.  Runs like today are the reason that I run.  It was nice having such a pleasant run in the middle of a hard training month.  Everyone say "hi" to Jenny on her blog.  She has joined the fastrunningblog community.  More miles later!

 

 PM:  Well, the health club was a bust. I dropped the kids off at the daycare, and mounted my favorite trusty treadmill for a good 4-5 mile run.  I was running along and feeling good, jamming to my tunes when the daycare worker came to get me.  Myles was screeching away, and wouldn't stop.  So, I got a whopping two miles in.  I wasn't even warmed up yet!  If I pay 17 extra dollars a month on my health club membership, I would like to be able to use it.  Naughty baby!  I wish that I could reason with him and tell him, "Only 15 minutes more and mommy will be done."    Grrr!

Comments
From Tara on Thu, Aug 15, 2013 at 10:55:45 from 141.0.10.135

Hi Jenny! Oh wait, wrong blog:). I went to Wheeler Farm for the fist time last month and all I could think about was how much fun it would be to run there. Oooooo. I'm sure there is so much more to it than what I saw. Does the north east side have a lot more land attached to it? It looked more like trails as you crossed the bridge and past that strange sideways tree.

Who did you run with at BYU?

Also, have you stepped on the JPT since your encounter? I wonder if they make travel size bear spray?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Family park day again.  Teren runs while I watch the kids, and then I run while he plays with them.  It works out well, and is fun for everyone.  Plus, I got 8 soft-surface miles in before my big twenty miler tomorrow.  

I ordered some hammer gels, Recoverite, and Perpetuem from Hammernutrition.com.  I was impressed that I got my order 2 days after placing it.  Plus, they sent a huge bag of samples of their products . . . probably at least a good 30 dollars worth of products.  I was pretty impressed with their customer service.  It will be interesting trying them out.  I actually like hammer gels above other energy gels.  

I get to use my own bottles at St. George.  What do people like to use for fueling, and how often, during marathons.  I'm looking for some good suggestions.   

Comments
From Jake K on Fri, Aug 16, 2013 at 11:15:56 from 67.177.11.154

I've used nalgene wash bottles with an attached straw... they work great (ie. no choking!)... last year I was able to search around online and eventually found them cheap on amazon.

Whatever you put in it... just practice with it.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
20.140.000.000.000.0020.14

Magna 20 miler this morning.  I brought my father-in-law along with me.  He biked and carried my drinks and energy gels so I could practice taking them.  I thought the start was at 80th West and 2700S.  It is actually at 8400W.  So, we drove in circles a little bit.  We ended up starting at 5600 W.  But, I think we got the point of the workout.  We started with 10 miles out, running along 2700S.  It was a gradual uphill that wound around.  I kept heading toward the mountains.  Evenutally I found myself on the corner of 8400 W and 3100 S.  Then, I knew where I was, so I ran about 4 miles up 8400W, until we hit ten.  This part was all uphill and into a headwind.  It took me 76 minutes to run the first ten, and 65 minutes to run the second ten.  The six minute miles down 8400 W helped the pace out a lot.

 The happiest moment of my run was when I asked my father-in-law if I had 4 miles left, and he told me I only had 3.5.  Yay!  I used the Perpetuem drink every three miles.  My energy stayed up, and my stomach didn't hurt at all. But, I got awfully thirsty.  I think Perpetuem is more for fueling than hydration, so I will have to bring more water next time.  I may use Heed instead, and take hammer gels for fueling.  Heed is more of an electrolyte drink.  But, I did like that I didn't need hammer gels when I used Perpetuem.  I'll keep experimenting.  

I'm feeling ready to extend my long runs.  Today didn't feel like too hard of an effort until about 14-15 miles, with serious effort at 17 -20.  Good run, though!   

 

Comments
From allie on Sat, Aug 17, 2013 at 18:12:25 from 97.117.89.133

great run, great week. nice job practicing with the fueling/hydrating -- that's great that your father-in-law could come along and help out.

you were moving in that second half -- 65!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.500.000.000.000.0011.50

So, I thought that I would try the 10 x 800 workout that everyone always talks about.  I originally thought I would wait until Tuesday to do my track workout, but I just decided to get after it today.  After hammering the last 10 miles of my 20 miler, I probably could have used one more day.  Oh well.  It's done.  

I warmed up 2.5 miles and then ran 4 x 200 to get the legs turning over.  Ideally I would like to run these all under 2:45, but when I ran the 200's I knew that probably wouldn't happen.  I really wanted to get through all ten.  I thought that was more important than running a certain pace. So, as long as they were staying under 2:50, I would keep running.  

2:44, 2:50, 2:48, 2:46.57, 2:49.32, 2:49.28, 2:48.52, 2:49.81, 2:49.19, 2:49.19  (How's that for consistency on the last two?)   I found that for some reason I could close the last lap a lot faster than I could get out on the first lap.  I guess that's marathon legs!    I don't feel hammered now, just kind of flat.  I ran 400 recovery in between.  I took a hammer gel after 5.  I cooled down with about a mile run home.  

 

FYI:  When I was 22 I could run 10 x 800 in 2:40 with 1 minute recovery in between.  Those were the days!  Of course, I didn't run a 20 miler right before either!

 

Comments
From Kass on Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 09:27:22 from 70.208.4.108

Awesome workout on tired legs Em!

Yes, it's painful to think what I use to run in workouts 10 years ago.... But hey, you're a much stronger runner now with all those miles under you.

From Jenruns on Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 10:03:00 from 98.202.196.31

Nice work Emily. I'm always amazed by your track workouts. You STILL have amazing speed that I'll never have! You are awesome.

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 11:43:44 from 174.106.30.39

Not easy two days after a long, hard run. I'd say pretty good. You're in marathon mode - consistent, grind it out workouts. You definitely have more than enough leg speed to cover the distance quickly... It's all about continuing to build the engine and tailor it to STG specifically when possible. That Magna run over the weekend was strong. Good couple days.

From Rachelle on Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 12:28:42 from 159.212.71.25

Thats a really great workout Emily. I don't think your giving it enough credit coming off of a hard 20 miler. Way to go!

From allie on Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 12:04:59 from 161.38.221.168

great workout. 10 of those is tough (my legs usually fall off after 6). way to keep it consistent. all the more impressive after a big run on saturday.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

Today was a big day.  I braved the Jordan River Parkway again.  I carried my trusty pepper spray.  I didn't see any scary people, but I almost pepper sprayed a dog that lunged at me.  That will teach people to follow the leash laws!  

I ran down 1300 W to Gardner Village.  There was construction on the trail, so I had to cross to the other side of 1300 W, and access the trail by running under the bridge.  This added about .25 to my run.  When I got home, I was at 9.75, so I ran around the neighborhood until I hit ten.  

I felt pretty good, except for sore hips.  I just need to stretch them out really well today.  I felt great after about 4-5 miles.  I've been using Recoverite after my runs.  It doesn't get rid of all the fatigue, but it does seem to keep me from feeling completely trashed after a hard effort.  It's disgusting.  But, it works.   

Comments
From Jenruns on Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 09:19:55 from 98.202.196.31

Way to go Emily! I'm proud of you! I wish we could have run together. What is in Recoverite?

From emruns on Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 09:45:52 from 67.186.252.90

Whey protein, Maltodextrin, Glutamine. Teren used a recovery drink while he was marathon training, and he said it made a big difference, so I thought I would give it a try. I hate the taste of whey protein. But, it's manageable. I have an extra sample if you want to try some. I've done protein drinks,(the ones from Costco), and while the protein is good, this recovery formula seems more effective.

From allie on Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 12:05:31 from 161.38.221.168

good job. i'm sure that wasn't easy.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
13.250.000.000.000.0013.25

I ran really early this morning.  I wanted to be done before Cole got off for his first day of school.  First Grade!!!!  I can't believe it.  I decided to tempo today.  Lily has surgery tomorrow, so I don't know how the rest of the week is going to go.  

I warmed up 20 minutes, and then ran a nine mile tempo.  I practiced with Heed every three miles today.  No gus needed.  I felt really strong and under control today.  I attribute it to the recovery drink I have started using.  Teren just thinks I'm actually getting in shape.    9 miles:  54:33.  6:03-04 per mile.    1.5 mile cool down.   

Comments
From allie on Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 07:38:26 from 97.117.89.133

i was just going to ask you if you wanted to meet up for a tempo tomorrow :)

great job -- super strong tempo run.

good luck to cole at first grade! and to lily with her surgery. hope it all goes well and that she recovers quickly.

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 08:03:43 from 174.106.30.39

I agree with Teren! :-)

From Jenruns on Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 08:57:50 from 98.202.196.31

Nice tempo lady! I think it was good for you to switch it up and do it today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring! Good luck to Lily on the surgery. Let me know if you need any help.

From Kass on Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 09:03:01 from 98.202.223.143

You are one tough lady!! You are driven and motivated!! Very inspiring. Great tempo!

From Rachelle on Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 09:36:33 from 199.190.170.30

Awesome tempo Emily!

From AngieB on Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 09:57:31 from 199.190.170.30

Great workout! I am very excited to see how awesome you do at St George!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

AM:  8 miles of easy, mindless running at Vista Park.  My achilles and hips feel a bit pounded from yesterday, so I kept it soft.  The park is only about a half mile around.  I ran lots of laps.  I did finish with about 10 minutes in the neighborhood.  I got so hungry after about half an hour, even though I ate before my run.  Of course, I'm constantly starving lately.  Nursing burns an extra 500 calories a day, besides running.  I eat a lot!

 PM:  After spending most of the day at the hospital with Lily, I met up with the East High team at Sugarhouse Park for some extra miles.  I ran a loop of the park until I found them.  They were running hill sprints.  I got the privilege of joining them on this venture.  They were probably good for me, but boy did they hurt!  Then, we ran 15 minutes of firemen.  I finished with a jog back to my car.  There's nothing like running with high school kids to get your sprinting legs going!  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

I met Jenny at Murray Park for our weekly Murray Park/Wheeler Farm run.  We covered many . . . um . . . "interesting" topics, once again proving that I can talk to Jenny about anything!  It was an enjoyable run, except for the constant stomach cramps.  I will not be eating a Nutrigrain bar before running again.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 09:19:06 from 98.202.196.31

That's one of the reasons I love running with you! We can talk about anything! :) Thanks for the nice run and good conversation.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
21.000.000.000.000.0021.00

Today I ran my longest run ever!  And yet, come race day I will have to run five miles more.  I know that I can make it through a marathon.  The question is:  how fast?  When I think about it as 26.2 miles, it seems daunting.  It's probably important to just take it one mile at a time.    I ran my temple loop, and extended to Costco for the extra mile.  I like when you get to the point in a workout that you know you are going to make it through.  Today that was about mile 17-18, where all of a sudden it seemed, not easy, but doable.  It's hard to explain, but I've noticed that feeling in the last few workouts I've done.  

 The marathon can't get here soon enough.  I'm so tired! 

Comments
From Jenruns on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 09:49:51 from 98.202.196.31

There is an end in sight! Almost there! Nice job on 21!

From AngieB on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 12:00:50 from 174.239.96.157

Will this be your first marathon ever Emily?

From emruns on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 13:44:24 from 67.186.252.90

Yep. first marathon. I've trained for a marathon 3 times, and have gotten hurt during the training. So, I really want to make it to the starting line. That will be a victory right there. I see Sariah Long is running St. George. That will make a competitive race with her and Amber Green.

From AngieB on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 13:50:43 from 174.239.96.157

Wow I thought you have ran a ton of marathons. You are going to be right up there. Is Devra running st George also?

From allie on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 18:05:14 from 97.117.89.133

the marathon is coming. and sooner than that is the taper!

another great week for you. keep it going -- you're almost there...

From seeaprilrun on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 18:36:58 from 205.172.12.210

All tapered and ready to go, the 26.2 miles will happen! 21 is a plenty long enough long run!--I rarely go more than 18 when training for a marathon. How exciting!

From Jake K on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 19:38:16 from 74.214.234.19

Pretty awesome Emily... you're really knocking out the training well. Just another month!

From MichelleL on Sun, Aug 25, 2013 at 00:46:51 from 219.78.242.229

Are you doing St G?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

AM:  It took me forever to warm up this morning.  I didn't feel like I was really moving until I was halfway through my workout.  My goal is to front load this week, so I don't have to back off mileage.  I'm racing on Saturday, but it's a really low key race.  I'm mostly using it to get a downhill tempo.  Still, I'm hoping to get a couple lighter days before Saturday. 

I ran a 3 mile warm up, and then did a ladder fartlek at Valley Park.  I ran 1-2-3-4-5-5-4-3-2-1 minute intervals, with 1-1-2-2-3-3-2-2-1-1 recovery.  It wasn't until the last 3-2-1 that I felt like I was actually turning it over.  Oh well.  The point was to get a little speed, but still have a workout that I can recover from easier than I would from a track workout.  I cooled down until I hit 12.  I'm planning on a few evening miles tonight.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
14.150.000.000.000.0014.15

I ran from the Jordan River Parkway with Jenny.  We ran some rolly hills through the neighborhoods to Murray Park, and then came back on Vine Street.  We finished on the Parkway.  Some hills.  Some flats.  A little bit of everything this morning.  Ave pace: 7:20

PM:  4 miles  SLCC loop.  School was getting out, so it was very trafficky.  I actually felt pretty good.  It's weird how sometimes when you think you should be super tired, you actually run really well.  

 

Comments
From Jenruns on Tue, Aug 27, 2013 at 09:20:31 from 98.202.196.31

SO glad you put the extra .15! That was the most important part of the run! Ha ha! Thanks for the run. And congrats on conquering the dreaded part of the parkway where the D-Bag attacked you! Glad we both had our pepper spray!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

3.5 mile warm-up followed by 20 x 1 min on/off at Millrace Park.I always got a little shot of adrenaline and ran faster when the dogs at the dog park ran after me.  I'm glad there was a fence between us.  I had planned on 20 x 200 on/off at the track, but I've been so tight in my hips and achilles that I decided to play it safe and run in my trainers.  I'll be wearing flats on Saturday.  I just have easy mileage until then.  Right now nothing feels like easy mileage!  2.5 mile cool down.  

Comments
From allie on Wed, Aug 28, 2013 at 12:56:33 from 161.38.221.168

great workout this morning -- good way to sharpen up for a race. which one are you running?

From Kass on Wed, Aug 28, 2013 at 13:02:19 from 98.202.223.143

Emily, you are really training well and getting through it! Keep it up just a little longer and runs will start feeling tons better. I am no expert though :) I have only run one marathon...

From emruns on Wed, Aug 28, 2013 at 13:05:52 from 67.186.252.90

Kassi, that is one more than me! Allie, I'm running the Emigration Half Marathon. It's really low key, so I'm treating it like a tempo. I thought it would be good to run down the canyon.

From allie on Wed, Aug 28, 2013 at 13:27:11 from 161.38.221.168

ah, a sports-am race! those are the best.

that should be a great workout for you and a nice prep for the downhill at st. george. good luck.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
14.500.000.000.000.0014.50

AM:  Costco loop backwards, extended to canal road.  9.5 miles

PM:  5 mile zoo loop to 1300 S, back on 1900 E with East XC team.  I'm sure I annoyed Sarah for the whole 5 miles.  What is a good coach for?  It is hot at 4:00 p.m.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.200.000.000.000.006.20

I met Jenny at her house for an easy run through her neighborhood.  We looked at all of the fancy houses in Holladay.  Holladay is definitely prettier than Taylorsville.  It's nice to have a short day today.  

Race: Emigration Canyon Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:23:25, Place overall: 1
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
15.700.000.000.000.0015.70

I ran the Emigration Canyon Half Marathon today.  I thought it would be perfect preparation for St. George.  My one goal was to stay under control and not be pounded at the end of the race.  The race climbs 4 miles from the golf course, and then drops down Emigration Canyon.  It finishes flat on Arapeen.  I wanted to get some good downhill.

This was a fun race.  It was small, but well run.  Everyone was friendly and supportive.  

I warmed up two miles before the race.  The first four miles I just ran comfortably, like in a long run.  I hit 4 in 29:52 before the drop down the canyon.  I just got in a groove.  I wanted to open up, but not force the pace.  I was hanging just under six minute miles.  At mile seven my stomach started to cramp.  It had been off all morning.  The next five miles got really bad.  I managed to hover within 10 seconds of pace, but my stomach was not feeling good.  However, I was able to pick it up the last three miles.  The marathon training is paying off.  I don't have mile splits, but I finished in 1:23:25.  So, I was under six minute pace for the last nine miles of the race. 

I only made it .6 into the cooldown before my stomach started hurting again.  I haven't been able to eat yet, so I'm wondering if it's some sort of virus.  I guess it was a good thing for me to have to run through, but I sure hope it's not a problem at St. George.  I didn't do anything differently before my race, so I'm hoping it was just a weird day.  

I'm feeling great for St. George.  I went into this race with extremely tired legs.  I did want a couple more miles this week, but that cooldown was not happening.  But, I want to hit 80's for the next two weeks, so I'm good.  

I took 2nd overall, Jenny took 3rd overall and ran a really strong race.  It was a fun morning!  

Comments
From Kass on Sat, Aug 31, 2013 at 11:16:01 from 70.208.5.141

Great running Em! Sorry your stomach was having problems. This was a big week for you. And it turned out well!

From Tara on Sat, Aug 31, 2013 at 14:23:27 from 75.169.136.239

Good job, Emily. You're going to be a crazy machine at SGM. It sounds like it's going to be a stacked field, for the rest of us.

From Rachelle on Tue, Sep 03, 2013 at 09:23:58 from 159.212.71.69

Great job Emily! You are going to rock SGM.

From Jake K on Wed, Sep 04, 2013 at 13:51:04 from 67.177.11.154

You're getting stronger and stronger. Nice job.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.500.000.000.000.0012.50

Longer recovery run today.  I ran surprisingly well for having just raced.  Sore in the hips, but that's nothing new.  My legs didn't love downhills today, but I'm definitely in much better shape than after Deseret News.  There was a little residual stomach ache from Saturday, but that's improving.  I ran 1300 W to Gardner Village, onto the river trail, off at 4800S, and then back up to home.  It was muggy.  I was thirsty.  

147.5 miles until I get to start backing off.  Almost there.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Sep 02, 2013 at 10:00:21 from 98.202.196.31

Nice run. I had to laugh when you said, "Only 147.5 miles until you get to start backing off". Ha! Seems like a lot to a normal person but for you and me, that's nothing! We are so close! I felt really good today too!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
15.000.000.000.000.0015.00

AM:  I warmed up 3 miles and then ran 4 x 1.5 miles.  I ran half a mile recovery in between intervals. 9:04 (must still be warming up!)  8:50, 8:47 (started feeling better)  8:48.  I just cooled down until I hit 11 miles.  I will run a few miles as a shakeout this afternoon. 

PM:  4 mile easy run through the neighborhood.  My legs were completely dead.  The workout this morning did me in!  

Towards the end of my run I passed a bus stop.  There was a man standing at the stop that struck me as threatening.  There was just something about the way he looked at me.  It threw me in to a full internal panic.  I never know exactly when something or someone is going to scare me.  This guy didn't do anything, but I'm still experiencing some residual effects from my attack.  Mostly, I'm just fine, but occasionally a random occurrence will put me in that fight or flight mode. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.160.000.000.000.0012.16

I went on a bit of an adventure run through Murray with Devra and Allie.  Our 10 mile run turned into a 12 mile run because my navigational skills are lacking.  We braved 2 laps of Wheeler Farm.  It was very dark!  I enjoyed the company, but maybe someone else should lead next time!

Comments
From allie on Wed, Sep 04, 2013 at 08:23:19 from 208.54.5.227

if i would have been leading the run, we would have ended up in the wheeler farm pond. your navigational skills are fine...what is lacking is a "not a thru street" sign on arrowhead lane.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

AM:  8.5 miles  4100 S to River Trail.  Home at Millrace Park.  I saw a hearse that was decorated with University of Utah decals . . . weird.

 

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.000.000.000.000.0011.00

In honor of Murray Invite this afternoon, I ran a fartlek workout at Murray Park. They were busy setting up the course.  I warmed up and then ran 3 x 1-2-3-2-1 repeats with 1-1-2-1-1- minute recovery.  I ran through the course once, and then did a perimeter lap on the Murray Fun Days Course.  Then, I cooled down in the park.  This was a good strength workout with uphills, downhills, grass, trail, and roads.  I just hope the uneven surfaces don't make my achilles tendons more sore tomorrow.  

East High has to run that course this afternoon.  I will be there coaching and feeling glad that I am already done with my workout.  It was hot this morning.  It's going to be blazing this afternoon.

 

 

 

Comments
From Andrea on Fri, Sep 06, 2013 at 11:23:05 from 72.37.171.52

I'm coming to watch this afternoon. See you there!

Nice workout today - it's hard to do a workout on an XC course!

From Tara on Fri, Sep 06, 2013 at 13:54:29 from 75.169.142.98

I am very excited to how you do for SGM!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
22.000.000.000.000.0022.00

I met Jenny at her house for our long run.  We ran out on Wasatch Boulevard and back.  The route started uphill, rolled along Wasatch, and then finished downill for the last 4 miles.  I liked the route, but I didn't feel very good during the run.  I started to get dizzy at 16 miles.  I took a second hammergel there, and that got me through. I was just so thirsty the whole run.  I think it was warmer this morning than usual.  Plus, I ran a workout yesterday, and then spent yesterday afternoon running all over a cross country course.  I don' t think I ate or drank very well.

I'm glad I've had some hard runs with some tough conditions.  I think it's preparing me pretty well for whatever the marathon throws at me.  After all this hard training, I am crossing that finish line if I have to crawl the last three miles.  Still, I hope I feel great that day, because I sure don't right now.  

7:18 average.  We ran 1:24 for 11 going out, and 1:16 coming back.  Despite feeling cruddy, it was still a strong run.  Jenny was a beast today!

Comments
From Jenruns on Sat, Sep 07, 2013 at 16:04:46 from 98.202.196.31

I may have been a beast today but you are a beast every day Emily! I know that you are going to do well at SG! And I agree about you being prepared for all conditions. I think the things you've experienced over the past few weeks have helped you better prepare for marathon day. It's so soon! I can't wait to give you a big hug at the finish line...it will all be worth it!

From AngieB on Sat, Sep 07, 2013 at 16:34:45 from 174.255.130.211

So sorry you felt cruddy today too. Just know there's a sweet taper around the corner and all the hard work will pay off. That's the only thing keeping me pounding the pavement these days:)

From allie on Sun, Sep 08, 2013 at 21:35:09 from 97.117.86.71

definitely a strong run. great job.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
14.500.000.000.000.0014.50

I tried out my new marathon flats on my workout today.  I'm not quite sure about them.  They are the Asics DS Racers.  They are supposed to have a little more stability than normal flats.  They feel a little heavier than a flat, more like a lightweight trainer.  But, maybe that's good for a marathon.  I liked them better than I thought I would.  The only issue I had is that the heel of the shoe comes up higher than my other shoes.  The left shoe left the back of my heel raw.  I will try them with some different socks, but I may be ordering a different pair.  

I warmed up 2.5 miles, and then ran 4 x 200.  The  workout was a ladder workout  400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200 800, 400.  with 400 recovery, except after the 400 which was 90 seconds.  Here's my paces, and my mental reactions to each interval:

400  77  (OUCH!  400's are hard!)

800  2:47 ( a little too relaxed on this one.  It was dark.  I was running by feel)

1200  4:12  (Same pace as the 800.  Pretty decent!)

1600  5:40  (and a negative split 2:52, 2:48.  Woo Hoo!  I think my body likes 84-5 pace today.)

1200  4:14  ( Had to run pretty hard the last lap to hit under 4:15

800:  2:45  (Better!  Glad to see that 2:45!)

400  78  ( Eh.  At least it's under 80)

I felt great (well, marathon training great) today.  It's tough to push my body into the uncomfortable speed range.  However, it likes "comfortably hard."  My goal has been to let my body take control and not force the efforts.  I run better relaxed.  I'm happy with today.  I feel really ready for this marathon.

2.5 mile cooldown.

 

PM:  I needed a few more miles, so I ran with the East High team.  They were doing 6 x 800 with 400 recovery.  Woo Hoo.  Double workout day.  I just paced some of the girls on their repeats.  Nothing too strenuous.

Comments
From allie on Mon, Sep 09, 2013 at 08:22:52 from 161.38.221.168

very nice, emily!

From AngieB on Mon, Sep 09, 2013 at 08:39:59 from 199.190.170.31

I like your "well, marathon training great" line. I feel the same way about my training. You are going to do great! You are fit and ready!

From Jake K on Mon, Sep 09, 2013 at 10:57:31 from 67.177.11.154

"marathon training great" aka "I can pretty much run the same pace regardless of the distance on speed workouts" :-)

From Jenruns on Mon, Sep 09, 2013 at 21:05:46 from 98.202.196.31

I don't know how you have the energy to run 2x a day...you are incredible! Don't you feel like this week is already easier than last week just in the fact that we get to start our "taper" on Sunday?!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
13.000.000.000.000.0013.00

AM:  10 miles.  ugh.

PM:  3 more.

Comments
From allie on Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 11:42:09 from 208.54.5.219

:) almost there.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
14.000.000.000.000.0014.00

Threshold run today.  I warmed up two miles and then did a 10 mile tempo.  Well, actually, I did a 45 minute tempo.  I was really struggling at that point, so I finished the last 2.65 miles running 1 minute on/off.  Still, I managed the full ten in 61:48.  6:10-11 per mile.  I cooled down 2 miles.  14 miles total in 1:31:05.  Overall, it was a good workout.  It just wasn't the easy 6:03-04 average that I ran 2 weeks ago.  

Comments
From Kass on Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 13:44:48 from 98.202.223.143

The effort was still there. You ran really well and you're running on tired legs. You are in great shape!

From Carina on Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 08:27:16 from 204.15.86.83

You are amazing!! As I've been training and feeling like I'm giving it everything I have, I look at your blog and you do SO much more!! I don't know how you do it! You're going to be awesome at st George!!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.500.000.000.000.0012.50

AM:  7 easy miles in the nice cool fall weather.  Morning runs are very enjoyable right now.  

PM:  5.5  Down to 4100 S, back up 2700 W.  I checked in on Cole at soccer practice before heading home.  I thought splitting my mileage into two shorter runs would help mentally.  It worked this morning . . . not so much tonight.  But, there was a rainbow!

Comments
From Rachelle on Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 14:04:25 from 199.190.170.29

Awesome training this week Emily! I think you tempo yesterday was great considering the high mileage and fatigue that comes along with running more. Keep on keeping on...you are almost there!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
20.000.000.000.000.0020.00

I decided that I didn't want to spend my birthday running 20 miles.  Plus, I have to coach at the BYU Invite tomorrow.  So, that left today for my last pre-marathon 20 miler.  It was a tough one.  

Jenny and I met at the river at about 8:15 this morning.  Sleeping in (all the way until 6) was wonderful!  It was pouring when we started, but the rain quickly turned into a light drizzle.  Then, the weather was perfect, if just a bit muggy.  We ran out past the International Peace Gardens, to 5th South.  After the turn-around, the sun came out, and then it was really hot and muggy.  We were clipping along pretty quickly today though.  This was surprising considering my legs are so dead.  We passed 2 naughty landmarks that were spray painted on the sidewalk.  Oh, the things that amuse you when running.  It seems that when I run with Jen I possess the humor of a 12-year-old boy.  

We picked up the last few miles, and finished in a 7:06 per mile average.  I was thinking about my first twenty on the river trail where I could only muster 7:25 pace.  

So, the hardest work is done!  A little drop next week, and then full taper! St. George, here I come!  

Comments
From allie on Fri, Sep 13, 2013 at 13:16:52 from 161.38.221.168

great run, emily.

have a happy birthday, and good luck to your team at the meet tomorrow.

From Jenruns on Fri, Sep 13, 2013 at 15:21:57 from 98.202.196.31

Yes, I have the maturity of a 12 year old boy. I was so happy to see that spray painted penis and boobs. They got me through the last 6 miles of the run! Ha ha! Thanks again for being such a great training partner. You've helped me be a lot faster and I'm a lot more confident about St. George because of you! (Hugs). Have a great birthday tomorrow!!!!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

Happy Birthday, to me!  I'm 33 +3!   But, when I ran I felt eight-tee!  Because of yesterday's twent-tee!

Comments
From Andrea on Sat, Sep 14, 2013 at 13:04:59 from 67.177.11.154

Very cute! Happy birthday :)

From allie on Sat, Sep 14, 2013 at 13:10:32 from 161.38.221.168

ha ha ha. this is funny.

happy birthday, emily.

From Kass on Sun, Sep 15, 2013 at 12:15:57 from 98.202.223.143

Fun to see you at the BYU meet! Hope actually relax and celebrate today!!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.500.000.000.000.0011.50

I'm on carpool duty this week, so I have to get my workouts in super early.  I don't really mind, and it is good preparation for the 6 a.m. start at St. George.  However, it is really dark outside!  

I warmed up for 20 minutes, and then ran a fartlek workout at Valley Park.  I ran 3 sets of 5-3-2 minutes with 3-2-1 minute recoveries.  I can feel my legs coming back a little bit, though my hips and achilles are going to need some TLC over the next couple of weeks.  I cooled down through the park and back home.  

I can't believe this marathon is actually going to happen for me!  I'm starting to get excited!!!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I ran with the East High kids today.  I needed a few more miles than they were running, so I came early and got in three before they showed up.  We ran down to Sugarhouse Park and ran 5 state hills (about 300 meters) and then ran back.  I only ran four because I tripped and fell on my face on the first one.  It was definitely a stellar moment for me.  Wouldn't that be great, to make it this far uninjured in training and then hurt myself in a freak accident?

 

It was good running with the kids.  They have all that speed, so I have to work extra hard on hill sprints.  I'm not sure they are very necessary for marathon training, but it's always good to have to push out of your comfort zone.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 10:14:28 from 98.202.196.31

What the heck Emily?! You are making me nervous! Enough with the tripping/falling/turning too sharp and pulling your butt muscle/etc! Do I need to wrap you in bubble wrap until October 5th? Glad you are ok!

From emruns on Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 11:46:41 from 67.186.252.90

Well, I think you jinxed me by telling me the story of Deena Drossin breaking her foot while mowing the lawn. I'll try not to pull anymore butt muscles.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

It's nice to have my legs coming back a bit.  The weather was absolutely perfect running weather this morning.  I tried out my marathon shoes again.  I think we have a keeper.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

Doing carpool this week is messing with my training.  I decided to wait until tomorrow to do my tempo workout, because Teren will be home, so I will have more time in the morning.  I should be quite well rested.

I wanted 10 today, but only got seven.  It was long sleeved shirt weather this morning.  Good thing I'm starting to taper down.  I just need to make sure not to taper too much too soon.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
13.000.000.000.000.0013.00

Marathon pace workout  3 x 3 miles with a half mile recovery.  I purposely wanted to start a bit easy and build in.  Control was the emphasis of this workout.  

I warmed up 2 miles before the workout.  My first 3 mile was 18:35, second, 18:08, and third 17:46.  I felt under control the entire workout, though the last one started to get more intense the last mile.   So, 6:12 pace on the first 3, 6:03 pace on the second three, and 5:55 pace on the last three.  I think I'm ready.  

I just cooled down until I hit 13.  Last longer run tomorrow!

Comments
From Jenruns on Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 11:41:25 from 98.202.196.31

GREAT workout Em! Wow...your "workout" is faster than my 5K PR! You are nuts girl! I agree about not tapering too soon. It's hard though because I'm tired and want to cut back. Are you cutting back by about 20% this week? Or less? (In terms of overall mileage).

From allie on Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 11:43:54 from 97.117.81.92

sweet workout -- that's a tough one! great job, emily.

From emruns on Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 12:11:14 from 67.186.252.90

I wanted to hit 65 this week. I will hit 63. I had planned on 50 next week, but I think I will feel really good if I stay at 55. Then, it's just light runs and workouts the last week! I don't know about percentages. That's too much math for me.

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 13:23:18 from 67.177.11.154

Really nice. You're definitely ready. Just wrap yourself in bubble tape for two weeks.

From AngieB on Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 13:40:57 from 199.190.170.22

Bubble tape and quarantine yourself from any sicknesses...easy to say with little kids bringing home germs from school hu.

From Tara on Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 14:34:50 from 75.169.141.151

I

like

it!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
16.000.000.000.000.0016.00

16 sure felt a lot easier than 20-22.  I decided to give it one last long run significant effort.  I ran my Jordan River Temple loop, and did not have to extend to Costco!  6:49 average pace.  Miles 12-15:  6:20, 6:30 (uphill.  I was imagining Veyo.)  5:57 (downhill)  So, mini -tempo at the end.  I'm feeling good and feeling very excited.  

There is a little tickle in my throat.  Hopefully I'm just being overly paranoid.  

Comments
From allie on Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 08:36:54 from 97.126.223.228

i had all sorts of tickles and sniffles last week (and toe/knee/shin/head/finger pain) -- the taper just makes you hypersensitive to everything. :)

great run. you have to be feeling confident running those paces on tired legs and feeling good. you're going to fly at st. george.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

And, the taper continues.  7 easy on a gorgeous morning.  My arms were cold.  It was fantastic.  I had a sore throat over the weekend, so I thought I would play it safe and do my track workout tomorrow.  I feel great otherwise, just a sore throat.  

Comments
From Jake K on Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 10:58:58 from 67.177.11.154

good timing for a sore throat - better this week than next!

chilly mornings are good. We all had goosebumps at the TOU start, perfect marathon weather. Hope you get the same... 12 days!!!

From AngieB on Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 11:05:52 from 199.190.170.21

I have been so worried about getting sick. I even debated going to church yesturday but still went anyways. Im loading up on the Vit C and airborne just in case. You are so ready. I am so excited to see how you do.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.750.000.000.000.0010.75

Hmmm.   That was not an encouraging workout.  

As I was walking out the door, I noticed it was VERY windy this morning.  Teren was so encouraging.  "It's not that bad."  he told me.  So, off to the track I went.  I warmed up 2.5 miles, with 4 x 200. My workout was 6 x 1000.  I thought I could keep around 3:30.  Nope.

3:27  (Good, but huge effort.)  3:37 (Uh, oh.)  About here I thought about turning it into a fartlek workout instead, but decided to persevere.  3:38.3, 3:37.9, 3:38.6, (thought about calling it good at 5.  Decided to persevere.) 3:38.11.  I'm glad they were all under 3:40 at least.  I felt like I was running into a wall on the home stretch.  My splits were all over the place, but the overall times were very consistent.  I had envisioned a taper-tastic workout, where I felt amazing and ran super fast.  Nope.  Teren, it WAS that bad.  Blame it on the wind, right?  The pluses, I kept at it and finished the workout I set out to do.  I was extremely consistent after the first sprint-fest.  Finally, I think I could have run more of them if I absolutely had to.  

Cooled down 2.5 miles home.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 09:15:16 from 98.202.196.31

It wasn't windy at all here...you should have come to Cottonwood! :) Don't get discouraged...my workout yesterday was really hard for me too! I think we have to realize that we've put in some really hard training over the past 4 months and we are bound to be tired at times. Yes, we are tapering but not "completely" at this point. There is still a week and a half so we aren't 100% right now (and we shouldn't be! That should come on October 5th). Overall, I think you had a great workout!

From Jake K on Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 09:15:27 from 67.177.11.154

I had a day like this last Tuesday... the wind was awful. Running a 4:45 1600 that day felt like 4:30 effort.

Don't start second guessing ANYTHING now!!! :-)

From RileyCook on Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 12:58:38 from 132.3.57.82

On windy days you just have to go off of effort and not worry about the clock. It was pretty windy up here this morning too and my last two miles into the wind were much slower than usual. But the effort felt right and that's what matters.

Also, it's very typical to feel "off" during a taper. I actually always feel worse in a workout when I scale it back a tad from the norm (taper or not). I think we often think workouts during a taper should feel fresh and easy and in reality they don't feel any easier, and if we go in thinking they should be easy we are in for an awakening. At least that's my experience.

I wouldn't worry a bit about this workout. You're fine. And this was plenty fast to maintain your fitness for next weekend.

From AngieB on Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 16:19:15 from 174.239.66.1

Great workout Em! The one thing I hate running in is wind. I like Riley's advice on the taper. I have noticed that I feel alittle off during this taper. Good to know others feel it too:)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Beautiful sunrise through the clouds this morning.  It might not be quite so beautiful later this afternoon!  My right hip was very tight this morning.  It took about 30 minutes to properly warm up.  Lots of stretching and foam rolling this week.  I just need to stay in one piece for 10 more days!  I just want the race to get here already!  It's been a long time that I ran a race that had so much physical and mental build up before.  Maybe even as far back as NCAA's.  I'm excited to get to it!

 

Comments
From Jenruns on Wed, Sep 25, 2013 at 14:35:03 from 98.202.196.31

I know! I wish the marathon was this weekend! But I'm also glad its not this weekend because that gives me an extra week to rest up and heal. BTW, we aren't camping on Saturday because of the cold weather. Want to run our 10 miles together?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.500.000.000.000.005.50

It was warmer than I thought it would be this morning.  I ditched my gloves in the first 3 minutes.  I hope my new garmin comes in the mail today.  The watchband of my timex is hanging on by one tiny thread.  RIP Timex.  You've timed many an interval!

Comments
From allie on Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 12:35:03 from 97.117.90.140

the watchband on my timex is held together with a rubber band. i cannot part with that thing.

it was warmer than i thought as well -- i dressed for winter, but i guess it's not winter yet. 40s just seems so cold!

From Jenruns on Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 17:34:09 from 98.202.196.31

It's gonna be life changing...just sayin.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

I brought my BRAND NEW GARMIN to Liberty Park for my last tempo run.  My workout goal was 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile with half a mile recovery at increasingly fast paces.  I saw Skyline's cross country team about ready to start their tempo, so I offered to pace the girls on their 3 mile.  Tom wanted 6:10, 6:00, 5:50.  Whew!  Not really in the plan, but I said I would try.  

I only got .6 warmup in before we started.  Mile 1: 6:06 (got out a little quick the first .25, which is normal for high school runners.  Mile 2 6:00 (right on, but the girls were having a tough time matching pace.)  Mile 3:  5:45.  17:51 for the 3 mile.  Half mile jog.  12:03 for the 2 mile.  ( I decided to bring back the pace a little.)  Half mile jog.   5:41 for the mile.  Half mile jog.    I planned on a longer cooldown, but got talking to Tom about coaching high schoolers.  Before I knew it, I needed to get home.  Good thing it's taper time!

I'm definitely happy with this workout.  I can't wait until next week!

 

Comments
From Jenruns on Fri, Sep 27, 2013 at 11:27:32 from 98.202.196.31

Great workout Em! I'm excited to hear how much you liked your Garmin on tomorrow's run!

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 27, 2013 at 12:14:42 from 67.177.11.154

There's the workout you were looking for the other day! Very well done - confidence should be SKY HIGH!

From Kass on Fri, Sep 27, 2013 at 13:01:18 from 98.202.223.143

You are lined for for a great marathon! So happy it is finally happening for you!

From Carina on Fri, Sep 27, 2013 at 18:45:20 from 70.208.4.229

Awesome!! What a great confidence builder, it's in the bag!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.500.000.000.000.0010.50

1 week to go!  At this time next week, I'm going to be DONE . . . and I have resolved to be positive and happy no matter what the outcome.  It's a victory to actually be able to run a marathon . . . I wasn't sure if my body could ever hold up under the training.  

10.5 with Jenny on a very cold morning.  I was wearing shorts when Jenny came over, but decided to change into tights,  I'm glad I did.  I tried out my new New Balance flats.  The Asics just haven't been working well for me.  Much better.  They are more of a traditional racing flat, so they don't have the extra support built in.  They also don't restrict my form as much.  

Let's get to it!

Comments
From Carina on Sat, Sep 28, 2013 at 12:57:22 from 204.15.86.83

I love your positive attitude! You are going to do so awesome! Congratulations on making through a very successful marathon training, you've done amazing!

From Jenruns on Sat, Sep 28, 2013 at 13:40:39 from 98.202.196.31

I'm super excited about your flats. I'm glad you feel comfortable in them! Thanks again for the great run this morning. We will DEFINITELY keep running together after the marathon. How does a 20 miler sound on Monday October 7th?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.130.000.000.000.007.13

It was a very windy morning.  I ran to Valley Park to run a 5-4-3-2-1 minute fartlek with 3-2-2-1-1- minute recoveries.  My legs feel good and definitely ready to go.  I have a little bit of a head cold, and I could feel it a little bit running.  I've been taking Emergen-C like crazy, so I think I can get rid of it by Saturday.  It's not bad enough to have a huge impact, but I definitely don't want it to get worse.  15 minute warm up.  Cooldown to home.  7.13 miles.  6:53 average for entire workout.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 11:58:01 from 98.202.196.31

No sickness! Nice run this morning. I'm thinking about doing something like this tomorrow or a short track workout (like 2x800, 4x400). This is the week my friend!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.050.000.000.000.005.05

I'm going crazy!!!!  5 miles this morning.  I keep feeling like I need to run more.  But, I will get a long enough run on Saturday.  6:49 pace.  I have way too much nervous energy!  It's nice to feel good running, though!  

Comments
From Andrea on Tue, Oct 01, 2013 at 13:59:57 from 70.208.1.167

At this point, the less you run and slower you run the better! Gotta give that body time to rest up and feel super fresh on Sat! I'm rooting for you!

I was sad you weren't at the usatf meeting last night bc I wanted to talk to you before the race! You are going to do awesome though...conservative first half then go for the win!

From emruns on Tue, Oct 01, 2013 at 14:26:08 from 67.186.252.90

Aaahh. I completely forgot about the USATF meeting!

From Andrea on Tue, Oct 01, 2013 at 14:32:52 from 72.37.171.52

I think the only thing worth mentioning is that Kris wanted to know if you were going to Indy for the annual conference in December.

From allie on Wed, Oct 02, 2013 at 09:00:06 from 161.38.221.168

andrea has great advice. conservative start, fast finish.

from michelleL's race report, 2008:

"So here's where I think I went wrong: I met or exceeded my splits for the first 8 miles despite the weather and the potty break. I should have started out 10 seconds per mile slower at the start, and not pushed Veyo so much. I went out too fast 1-8..."

good luck. i'll be cheering for you on saturday.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.400.000.000.000.005.40

I ran 2.5 miles over to the track, did 2 miles of speed changes, and ran the short way back home.  My legs feel amazing.  My brain is busy overanalyzing everything.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.260.000.000.000.004.26

Easy run on a blustery morning.  SLCC loop.  7:11 average.  We leave this afternoon!  Just got to get one marathoner, three kids, one husband, (and a partridge in a pear tree) packed up for the van ride down.  Cole gave me his packing requests this morning.  "I want to bring Woody, and Captain America, and Optimus Prime, and my Leap Pad.  Buzz Lightyear has to stay here."  You know.  all the essentials.  No big deal!

Comments
From Brandon on Thu, Oct 03, 2013 at 10:20:24 from 160.7.242.251

Best of luck to you Emily!

From emruns on Thu, Oct 03, 2013 at 10:51:20 from 67.186.252.90

Thanks, Brandon! You too! I was thinking of trying to run with you based on your time from last year. However, I think you are going to blow that away this year. Your training is incredible. Good luck!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
3.400.000.000.000.003.40

Race: St. George Marathon (26.2 Miles) 02:40:30, Place overall: 3
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
26.200.000.000.000.0026.20

2:40:30. 3rd place. Happy but not satisfied. Race report tomorrow.

So, I am proud to officially call myself a marathoner!  I feel such a huge sense of accomplishment in fulfilling this goal.  It has been a long journey to make this happen.  I'm glad that I have stuck with it, and FINALLY got that first marathon under my belt.  In addition, it was such a good experience that it won't be my LAST marathon.  That's a good thing.

I've really enjoyed training for this race.  I went in just wanting to get in shape after having Myles, and have some fun.  As my fitness improved, I found myself getting more competitive, but I tried to keep the mindset of enjoying my training.  I think that kept me from getting injured or burned out.

Race day:  I was so nervous, but it was a good nervous energy.  I just wanted to get to it.  I vowed to take it out conservatively.  There were 3 other girls I knew would be strong:  Amber Greene, Sariah Long, and Rosy Lee.  Amber and Rosie have run St. George multiple times, which is a huge advantage.  

Amber went out hard at the start, which I expected.  I chose to hang back with Sariah and Rosy.  We went through the first two miles in 6:15-20 pace.  (I didn't even keep my splits.)  Then we got rolling.  I knew the real challenge for me would be the hills in miles 7-12.  Sariah and Rosy gapped me.  I chose to stay comfortable, since I was still hitting under pace.  I was hoping to finish strong the second half.  Miles 10-12 were probably the biggest mental challege of the race.  It was uphill, and I was by myself.  I just concentrated on getting through the half. 

I went through the half in 1;20:30.  I told myself that it was time to get after it.  I started making up some time and distance on the other girls.  At mile 15 Sariah pulled off into a port-a-potty, and I found myself in third.  I could see Rosy through mile 18, then she started to really move and put on more distance.  

Mile 20 I was definitely feeling it, but knew I could use the last downhills to maintain.  I was keeping a sub-six average, and at this point was just concentrating on breaking 2:40.  All was good until miles 24-26.  My legs were shot, and I knew I was slowing.  At mile 25 I felt a blister  on my toe tear open.  Ow!  I tried to ignore/embrace the pain as much as possible.  I was elated to know I was actually going to finish this sucker, but I was not loving how I was feeling.  I was surprised to see a blond ponytail not to far ahead.  I didn't realize that I was that close to second place.  Too late to do anything about it, though.  I crossed in 2:40:30.  I felt so happy to have accomplished my goal, and in a pretty decent time. Then, I watched Jenny finish in an amazing 2:52.  I was so proud of her!

I realized that a couple of things really hurt me.  My downhills were fantastic.  But, I really lost the race on the climbs.  I have good leg speed, but I need to get stronger.  Something to work on for next time.  Secondly, I knew I could negative split, but to finish as strongly as I would have needed to win, I needed more endurance.  I topped out at 80 miles a week, the girls ahead of me were in the 95 mpw range.  Still, I did what I could with the time that I had.  I can build more mileage the next time around.  Finally, I did train downhills, but probably not quite as much as was necessary.  To really be successful at St. George you definitely need to train to the course.

Still, despite the improvements I can make, this was overall a hugely positive experience.  It feels amazing to break physical and mental barriers.  I enjoyed the camraderie of the experience.  My competitors were so tough, and gracious, and just really awesome women.  I met some of the ladies from the blog, and was happy to hear that they met their goals.  I realized, that when it comes to a marathon "we're all in this together"  (cue the disney music!)  

A big thanks to all the bloggers who encourage me with their input.  The blog really kept me positive and confident. It was fun "virtually training" with everybody.  I'm also really lucky to have a supportive husband.  Teren really put his running aside this summer to play Mr. Mom while I ran.  And, I couldn't have done it all without Jenny to train with.  She made it so much fun!  I look forward to incorporating more fast ladies into my training.  We can only make each other better! 

I'm so excited for a little break, but even more excited to do this again!  

Comments
From Ryan Achatz on Sun, Oct 06, 2013 at 21:22:37 from 75.167.190.24

Nice race Emily. I have a picture of you on my FRB blog.

From AngieB on Sun, Oct 06, 2013 at 21:24:37 from 174.253.160.189

Yay i get to be the first to comment. I'm so proud of you Emily. You ran so amazing. You are so tough and 2:40 for your first ever marathon? Wow! Only great things from you from here on out. I have truly felt like we have been "virtual training partners" you have encouraged me and helped me along. Great job! Wish we lived closer I would LOVE to join you and Jenny on runs.

From AngieB on Sun, Oct 06, 2013 at 21:25:11 from 174.253.160.189

Oh maybe someone beat me to the punch 2nd to comment:)

From allie on Sun, Oct 06, 2013 at 21:30:26 from 97.117.87.43

congratulations, emily. what a great debut! you ran a really smart race and you held on so well at the end. i am glad to hear you had such a positive experience and that you are hungry for more.

i hope we can get together for some more fun early morning runs in the coming months (after some good recovery time, of course).

From Brandon on Sun, Oct 06, 2013 at 21:35:30 from 160.7.242.251

It was great to talk with you after. You looked so fresh when you came in! Congratulations again on a fantastic debut marathon!

From Carina on Sun, Oct 06, 2013 at 22:17:08 from 204.15.86.83

Wow!! I knew you would do awesome, but WOW!! What an incredible person you are, and not just for your running, but for that too!! Way to go! Congrats on an amazing debut and an awesome performance! So fun to talk to you at the finish!!

From josse on Sun, Oct 06, 2013 at 23:46:49 from 70.208.9.78

Congrats on such an amazing 1st marathon.

From seeaprilrun on Mon, Oct 07, 2013 at 08:27:30 from 68.102.3.235

Wow! Incredible first marathon! Great things to come for you!

From Rachelle on Mon, Oct 07, 2013 at 09:38:43 from 159.212.71.199

Wow Emily I had no idea this was your first marathon. Absolutely outstanding performance. The sky is the limit for you. Congratulations!

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 07, 2013 at 12:22:08 from 67.177.11.154

Couldn't be happier for you Emily!! Smart training all summer, and a great marathon debut.

I think your approach early on (maybe I'll just run to get in shape and for fun) was the best thing for you. It kept you from pressing too hard and putting too much pressure on yourself back in May/June. And then once your got a solid foundation of healthy running under your legs, you were really able to take it to a high level the rest of the way. Its been cool to watch. This was well-deserved. Congratulations.

From RileyCook on Mon, Oct 07, 2013 at 15:25:14 from 132.3.57.82

Such a fast, fast debut! I thought you did awesome. Congrats on the top three finish and getting the first one under your belt. I think the first one is scary in that you don't know what the end is going to feel like. But it sounds like you played it perfect. Enjoy your moment.

From Susannah on Mon, Oct 07, 2013 at 18:39:01 from 98.202.89.137

Congrats on your first marathon :) It is sweet to see all of your hard work pay off!

From AmberG on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 08:40:53 from 199.66.116.216

Em,

Congratulations on your marathon debut! I had no idea that his was your first marathon. Another surprise to add to the fact that you still have a baby, makes your performance even more impressive to me.

It was great to meet you after the race, and I enjoyed reading your race report. You are incredibly talented, hope to race with you again in the future...

From Andrea on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 09:13:44 from 72.37.171.52

Very impressive performance. So glad that you had a positive experience and were able to run so well! You have a ton of untapped potential in the marathon - this is only the beginning. Looking forward to running with you some this fall.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Nada!   

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Nada x 2

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

1 hour on the spinning bike while catching up on all the recorded tv that I missed while in St. George.  It felt good to get some blood pumping through my legs.  Feeling better every day.  I can almost go down the stairs without taking them one at a time.  At least I don't have to go down backwards.  

I've spent lots of mental energy trying to figure out what I want to do next.  I definitely want to do a sea level marathon next fall, but what inbetween?  The only for sure race on the schedule is the prestigious Cottonwood Heights Turkey Trot.  I'm playing with the idea of going to the US Half Marathon Championships in January,  (see, I think I'm all awesome and stuff, now!)  or possibly the Phoenix Half Marathon on March 1.  I kind of want to take advantage of my fitness to pop some decent times out.   Hmmm.  So many decisions.  

Comments
From RileyCook on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 08:24:36 from 132.3.57.78

I actually may do both of those races. USA Half Champs for sure I am likely going to. It's tough to turn down those incentives they give to go out there.

Plus it's fun to just get absolutely smoked every now and then to keep me humble.

I did PHX marathon last year and it was a really good event, very well organized.

From Andrea on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 08:33:21 from 70.208.2.212

Both races will be great and I recommend doing both as long as you can handle the cold training months! Jake and I will probably be at both.

From Jake K on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 09:32:14 from 67.177.11.154

+1 on everything said above. Both are excellent options. Houston will obviously be super-competitive, and Phoenix is probably one of the fastest trials-eligible 1/2 courses in the country.

I'm planning on being at both... even though I know I won't be recovered from CIM in time for Houston, its still a free trip :-)

From Andrea on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 09:35:27 from 72.37.171.52

Already at least 6-7 people from Utah are going down for the Phoenix race...it would be awesome to have a big group there to hang out and celebrate afterwards :)

From RileyCook on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 10:11:46 from 132.3.57.82

Jake, what is the max elevation drop for a trials-eligible half?

From Jake K on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 10:13:49 from 67.177.11.154

Same rules as marathon (3.25m/km). So... 224 feet.

From Kass on Tue, Oct 08, 2013 at 22:07:22 from 98.202.223.143

Do both. I ran the Pheonix half this year and it was completely flat. But most races seem flat outside of Utah :)

If you have to choose one, I think you could stay more focused by training for the US Half, it is sooner. Then....just do the Pheonix half for fun and win!

From allie on Wed, Oct 09, 2013 at 13:41:58 from 161.38.221.168

one more vote for everything said above -- those both sounds like great options. i think i will be going to PHX as well.

also, i love the CH turkey trot! tough course. i used to do it every year until i started voyaging to seattle for bangers & mash thanksgiving.

From Tara on Wed, Oct 09, 2013 at 13:53:12 from 75.169.140.26

The Sky's the limit, especially with that amazing marathon debut! I wonder if everyone at SGM knows that was your FIRST marathon? Wowzers. You're dangerous.

From Rachelle on Fri, Oct 11, 2013 at 12:40:35 from 199.190.170.21

Definitely agree with all above feedback. You are in great shape so you should go for it.

I am planning to run Phoenix half as well and there is likely a van of us driving down if your interested in a crazy road trip! :)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Zumba!  I pretty much took this whole week off,since I don't feel the need to recover quickly.  It was nice getting to sleep in and have time to get some other things done, as well as do some of my favorite cross training activities.  Plus, Teren was out of town most of the week, so it was definitely a great time for some down time.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.000.000.000.000.004.00

I felt like trying a run this morning.  Walking after a marathon is a different story than running after a marathon.  I ran 4 miles in a blazing 8:17 average.  It hurt!  My quads are good, but my hips are so tight and sore.  It felt like my legs couldn't fire. Still, it felt good to get out and run.  There is definitely more recovery ahead.

I think if Pregnant Emily raced Post-Marathon Emily, Pregnant Emily would win.  

Comments
From Jake K on Sat, Oct 12, 2013 at 11:20:51 from 67.177.11.154

That would be quite a showdown!

I enjoyed Teren's talk last night. I looked up some old articles about that 10K against Bob Kennedy when I got home. Cool stuff, really inspiring.

From emruns on Sat, Oct 12, 2013 at 13:55:57 from 67.186.252.90

It was an amazing race to watch. Teren likes to give me a hard time because I was supposed to run in that race, too. I tore my soleus just a couple of days before. So, while he was having the race of his life, I was busy pouting on the sidelines. I was uh...supportive, but definitely bummed out for myself.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.090.000.000.000.005.09

5 miles, 7:21 pace.  That's better!  I have more oompf, but my form still feels strange.  I'm still feeling pounded in my hips and right achilles.  But, it's getting better.  There is definitely no rush.  I'm just out enjoying these beautiful fall mornings.

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 09:53:24 from 98.202.196.31

I feel the same way. My form is off...I'm getting blisters again which means something isn't quite right yet. Anyways, let's run this week ok? :)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.330.000.000.000.006.33

Costco loop.  I was glad I had tights on today.  It was a little chilly.  My hips felt a little better today.  The achilles was still achey.  7:12 average.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

I met Jenny down on the river trail.  It was very dark this morning, even with Jenny's light.  We ran 3 out and back.  An overly friendly golden retriever jumped on us on the way out, and then again on the way back.  Of course, Fluffy wasn't on a leash.  Darn dog owners!    7 :30ish pace.  It felt good to back it off of yesterday.  I think I was a little too aggressive on my run, yesterday.  I could feel it all day.  It's the Garmin's fault. 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.000.000.000.000.005.00

The East High team had a 6 am practice, so I thought I would run with them this morning.  They had a speed workout, which I'm not really ready for.  I decided to pace some of the girls to get a little turnover .  It actually felt really good to speed up a bit.  I could tell I'm not anywhere close to an all-out speed workout, yet.  

We warmed up 2 miles, and then did 4 hill sprints.  The first hill sprint felt terrible, but then my body warmed up and they felt better.  We started the workout with 2 x 400.  I ran with the girls hitting 90.  We ran 90 for the first one, and then got peppy and ran around 85 for the second one.  After the 400's they had a mile.  I ran with the group hitting 6:10-15.  I just ran 6:15.  Cardiovascularly this was no problem.  My legs felt it a little bit, though.  

At this point I needed to leave.  The kids still had some 400's, but Teren needed to get to work.  A little short today, but this is still a recovery week.  I was surprised that it felt pretty good to turn the legs over a little bit.  

I'm proud of the kids for getting up so early on their fall break and running in the cold and the dark.  They did great!  However, some of them should remember that 35 degrees is cold and wear something warmer than shorts and a t-shirt.

 

Comments
From AmberG on Thu, Oct 17, 2013 at 09:00:47 from 64.255.88.31

Nice speedwork today EM! I've also noticed that even when I'm not feeling speedy, after the first speed set the legs get back into a groove and they release a little. You seem to be recovering well! Great job....and brrrr it's getting chilly up there!

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 14:24:46 from 67.177.11.154

Rob tells his team to have a duffel bag in their car/gym locker w/ clothing for every possible weather scenario - jacket, gloves, hat, tights, etc. No one ever listens though :-)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.520.000.000.000.008.52

I didn't feel like running alone in the dark this morning.  Therefore, I ran for an hour on the treadmill at the gym.  7:03 pace.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.750.000.000.000.007.75

I got lazy on Saturday, and decided that I would finish up the last day of my recovery weeks with an extra day off.  Teren's sister and her family were staying with us.  So, I slept in, ate pumpkin waffles, and enjoyed the day.  

As a result, I was a bit stiff this morning.  I ran 1300 W to 7000S, back on 2700 W.  7:15 average.  I found that for this particular route, my internal Garmin was very accurate.  My actual garmin matched up almost exactly to the distance that I had predicted.  Years of running will do that.

Comments
From Andrea on Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 20:00:42 from 67.177.11.154

Your recovery has been so smart!

From allie on Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 20:28:11 from 161.38.221.168

agreed. very smart, especially the pumpkin waffles part.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

I posted on the wrong day yesterday, and I'm too lazy to fix it.  So, I will post today's run on yesterday's post . . . I think I'm confusing myself.  

I drove down to Provo to run with my former teammates.  It was worth the drive to run on my old stomping grounds and catch up.  The banquet was fun last night, but running with friends is the best! Plus, my running shoes are a lot more comfortable than my high heels.

Tomy and Natalie will be pleased to hear that we ran Carterville.  Coach Shane invited us to participate in 1200 meter repeats with the current team, but we politely declined, and moseyed along at our 8:03 pace.  I'm having a blast reuniting with friends and reliving the glory days!

 

 

Comments
From Tomy on Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 19:18:12 from 70.102.89.182

Oh Carterville

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
5.600.000.000.000.005.60

I've been bit by an extremely unmotivated lazy bug.  Actually, I'm really just giving some of my other life's priorities a bit of attention.  Still, I really need to get back on the training wagon.  5.6 miles, 6:58 pace.  At least my pace is picking up!  

The BYU Hall of Fame Induction is tonight.  I'm really excited to see all my former teammates.  This is such a huge honor.  Only three other teams in BYU history have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Tonight, 4 national championship cross country teams will join the ranks. I can't wait!

 

Comments
From allie on Thu, Oct 24, 2013 at 09:49:22 from 97.126.208.21

you are still less than three weeks out from the race, and lazy bug mode is totally acceptable for as long as you need it (especially after a 2:40 marathon!)

that is so cool about the hall of fame induction -- congratulations.

From Jenruns on Thu, Oct 24, 2013 at 10:17:23 from 98.202.196.31

Have fun tonight! I know you've been excited for it. Have fun with your girls and relive those glory days! You guys were (and still are) awesome!

From Rachelle on Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 10:17:45 from 199.190.170.21

Your time off was much deserved and sometimes necessary Emily.

Very cool about the hall of fame induction. Congratulations!

From AmberG on Fri, Nov 01, 2013 at 14:43:07 from 64.255.88.48

Congratulations on your Hall of Fame Induction. That is really exciting!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.050.000.000.000.007.05

It's time to get back to it. I've taken more than my fair share of time off.  This morning I paid for it.  It was a rude awakening!  I felt clunky and tight.  I expected it though.  Mentally I am ready to start training again.  I've definitely lost some fitness over the last few lazy weeks.  I think it will come back fairly quickly.  I do need to be a little careful about jumping into hard stuff too quickly.  7:26 pace.  Costco loop with added loop in the neighborhood.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.730.000.000.000.008.73

So, what's a girl to do when her silly baby wakes up at 4 for a cuddle?  Why, go running really early, of course!  It was dumping snow, and I didn't feel like taking my life in my own hands by running in it.  I went to the gym for a treadmill workout.  It was a good one.  I warmed up 2 miles and then ran 10 x 2 minutes on/ off.  I eased into them, starting at 6:15 pace, and upping the tempo .1 mph every interval.  I finished at 10.5 mph or 5:42 pace.  It's true.  The treadmill told me so.  It got pretty tough for the last 3.  My body hasn't moved that quickly in quite some time.  My recovery was at 8mph.  I cooled down until I hit an hour total running time.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.250.000.000.000.008.25

Yesterday afternoon I developed a random pain in my lower left leg.  It is on the outside of the leg, below the knee, where the knee hinges.  (Don't you love my scientific terms.)  I've been trying to figure out why it hurts there.  My workout yesterday wasn't too hard, and I didn't feel any twinges or anything during the run, or even in the hours following the run.  Impact doesn't seem to bother it.  It's more range of motion.  I think it might be tied into my hips, but it doesn't really feel like an IT band issue.  Hmmmm . . . 

I warmed into my run, slowly.  I felt a bit sore from yesterday.  It's cold.  It took 3 miles to warm up.  Once I got into a groove, it was a nice run . . . even if it was dark, cold, and windy.  7:25 pace.

Comments
From Jenruns on Wed, Nov 06, 2013 at 13:16:17 from 98.202.196.31

BE CAREFUL! Sounds similar to the kind of knee pain I have. You don't want to end up a gimp like me. I have to start swimming with the old men at the rec center to get a workout in. :(

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

No sign of pain in the knee today. I really don't think it was something running related.  Weird.  It seems to be gone, though.

Teren is out of town, so I was stuck on the treadmill again.  The happy news is that Myles played contentedly in the daycare for my entire run!  I was really bored during my warm-up, so I decided to get things over with more quickly and run a tempo run.

3 miles warm up.  25 minute tempo run (4.1 miles. I went through 4 at 24:20)  cooldown to eight miles.  

 

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.350.000.000.000.008.35

It was an incredibly beautiful day for a run this morning.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect.  I got to run a little later in the morning because Teren was home.  It's nice to run when it is actually light outside.  I ran to 4100 S, down to the river trail.  My body must have been loving the warm weather  and later start time because my average pace was a relatively brisk 6:58.  

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Fri, Nov 08, 2013 at 12:57:24 from 163.248.33.220

I've been in my classroom all day being cranky that I'm not out running!

From emruns on Fri, Nov 08, 2013 at 14:13:28 from 67.186.252.90

Hopefully you can get out there after school. Thankfully, the warmth is supposed to continue tomorrow! This is when I love being a runner!

From Jenruns on Fri, Nov 08, 2013 at 15:11:11 from 98.202.196.31

Just remember days like to day when it's January...

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
11.250.000.000.000.0011.25

The weather was so nice this morning that I ran a bit longer than my originally planned ten miles.  I was a little chilly to start, but started shedding layers as the run progressed.  I ran 7800 S down to the river trail at Gardner Village.  On the way back I saw a man standing on a bridge with his daughter on his shoulders.  They were just out enjoying the morning.  I thought it was cute.   6:58 pace for the total run.  I'm ready for a day off!

I'm happy with the way my first post-break week went.  My plan is to gradually increase the mileage.  I'll probably try to keep the workouts shorter and faster to get ready for 5k-10k type races.  I still don't have a solid race plan, but I will run a Turkey Trot, and then aim for some of the early circuit races.  I just want to enter next year's summer/fall training in really good shape!  Here's hoping for healthy running!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

I thought I would go out to the Oval for a speed workout since it is lighter and somewhat warmer than it is outside.  I drove out there to find that the oval is closed for the entire week.  Grrr.  I hate when my plans get ruined.  I drove home, and found I had no motivation to run a workout outside.  So, I just went for a run.  It might have been a good idea since my first 4 miles were pretty slow.  Muscles take some time to warm up when it is 30 degrees.  

I dropped my i-pod and cracked the screen.  Grrr.  (I'm doing a lot of growling this morning!)

 

Later AM:  I went to take the Total Body Conditioning class taught by my friend Kim.  Kim is a 2:52 marathoner and gears all of her strength classes towards runners.  Unfortunately, 25 minutes into class Myles had a freak out and I had to leave.  Grrr #3!  I made it through dead lifts, shoulders, and bench press before I had to go.  I have a goal to get stronger, and hopefully run faster as a result. Teething babies don't care about running goals.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

It's been a crazy last couple of days.  Myles got into toilet cleaner and developed a large third degree chemical burn on his little arm.  We spent the day at the pediatrician's office, followed by the burn unit at the University of Utah.  Between that and sleepless nights up with the baby, there has been little time for running.  I'm sure I could have fit it in if I really focused on it.  However, my mind and heart hasn't been in it the last couple of days.  

I did a fartlek workout this morning.  I warmed up two miles and then ran 7 x 3 minutes on/off.  I had originally planned 8-10, but kept having dizzy spells.  I must not have eaten enough before running this morning.  I cooled down until I hit eight.  This week is a bit messed up.  Sigh. 

Comments
From allie on Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 12:38:12 from 161.38.221.168

sorry about the stress this week. i hope myles is doing okay.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

Wow.  It's been one thing after another this past month.  I know this is a training blog, not a journal, but running is how I deal with my stresses and feelings.  Therefore, I think it is entirely appropriate to post the events in my life that effect me.  Besides, it's my blog and I can write what I want.  (except for bad language or Sasha will kick me off.)

So, we found out Saturday night that Teren's brother has cancer.  It is in his plasma cells.  That has been hard to wrap my head around.  He is only 44 with 5 kids.  Today he finds out how widely the cancer has spread in his body.  Something like this changes your perspective, quickly.  In addition, Teren's dad had triple bypass surgery around Halloween.  Then, there's our little adventure with the toilet bowl cleaner . . . It's a crazy time for our family.  I think the holidays are going to be rough.

It felt good this morning to pound out some stress and organize my thoughts.  Running is definitely therapeutic, and I am so thankful for that.  I warmed up 2 miles and then ran 12 x 1 min on/off.  Then, I ran 5 hill repeats up the Canal Road Hill (about 200 meter hill) and then ran home.  My paces were not spectacular.  ( I really need to get back in shape!)  But, it felt really good to move.

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Nov 18, 2013 at 09:17:07 from 98.202.196.31

So sorry to hear about Teren's brother. How horrible. Running can be very therapeutic when life gets crazy. I hope he gets good news today!

Good run this morning. I have done ZERO speed work since SG. I'm not planning on it until my knee is 100% for a couple weeks. My pace is pretty slow too! I miss you friend!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.330.000.000.000.009.33

I broke down and busted out the Christmas music this morning.  I just felt like something different to run to.  So, I put my ipod on the Christmas music station.  The music was fun.  The dj's however are far too perky for 5:30 a.m.   I'll probably return to AC/DC and Eminem tomorrow.  

I ran my Costco loop extended to 6200 S, and back along the canal road.  It was so warm this morning.  I was shedding layers the entire run.  I'm still dressing like it's normal Utah November weather.  7:31 pace.  The 4 miles uphill into the wind slowed me down.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Tue, Nov 19, 2013 at 11:43:57 from 98.202.196.31

Christmas music? You are crazy! The weather has been so nice lately! What a great fall! :)

From allie on Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 09:11:52 from 161.38.221.168

nat king cole to eminem...i like the range. :)

it was certainly very warm yesterday...crazy for this late in the year but oh so nice!

From emruns on Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 10:20:22 from 67.186.252.90

Yes, Allie, I have a very eclectic taste in music.

From Burt on Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 10:31:25 from 71.37.222.240

Have you heard the Nat King Cole/Eminem remix of Unforgettable? "Unforgettable....that's what you [bleep bleep bleep] are..."

From emruns on Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 11:11:48 from 67.186.252.90

Ha ha ha! I think I would actually listen to that!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.350.000.000.000.008.35

Extra early running this morning.  I warmed up 3 miles and then ran a 4 mile tempo.  I originally planned 5, but I was not feeling it at all this morning.  6:05 average.  Then, I cooled down for 10 minutes.  Now I'm done.  The end.  So much excitement this morning.

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

It was drizzling when I woke up. I contemplated going back to bed, or getting on the spinning bike, or running on the treadmill.  Then, I just decided to toughen up and get outside.  It wasn't bad for the first half of the run,  The drizzle turned into a pretty steady downpour by the end of the run.  Winter rainstorms aren't quite as pleasant as summer ones.  But, I'm glad I went out and ran.  

We mention a lot on this blog about making "deposits rather than withdrawls" during our workouts.  Today, I was thinking that running in adverse conditions provides a different type of deposit.  It's a deposit into our "mental toughness" bank.  When race time comes around, we can draw strength from all the times we pushed through rain, snow, wind, heat, sore legs, upset stomachs, sleepless nights, or tough times in our personal lives.  I like knowing that I can do hard things.  Nothing in a race is as difficult as the day to day commitment to training.  

Now, I just need to remember this when the temperature drops 20 more degrees!  It really wasn't too bad out this morning!

Comments
From Jake K on Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 08:49:17 from 199.190.170.31

I agree 100%. I think what you said is what makes training through the winter months such a boost - you might be way off your goal paces and stuff like that at time, but getting out there day after day when its 15 degrees outside makes a big difference in what you believe that you are capable of.

From Rachelle on Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 14:29:06 from 199.190.170.28

I totally agree Emily and think running in adverse weather, after a sleepless night, through stressful events, ect add character and make us stronger physically and mentally. When race day comes and the weather report is bad it often doesn't even phase us because we have trained in much worse.

That said I really hope this winter isn't as awful as last year!

From Brandon on Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 13:15:41 from 160.7.242.251

This post resonates with me so much. I believe that if you do not train in it then you really can't expect to race in it well. Whatever the "it" may be ;). Very nice deposit Emily!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

Easy run + Zumba.  There is a free zumba class next Friday at my health club if anyone cares to join me!  I'm sure you are all going to be beating down my door to come!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

I met Jenny for a run this morning.  We tried out the horse park loop.  It was a nice place to run. We made three laps before we got bored and headed out on the roads.  We did a loop through Holladay, and then back to Cottonwood Complex where our cars were parked.  

I've decided that the worst thing about cold weather running is that it takes the rest of the day to warm back up.  I'm still shivering!

Comments
From allie on Sat, Nov 23, 2013 at 16:06:11 from 97.126.219.219

i was in a post-run body temperature drop for ~4 hours last weekend. i think my car heater was on the verge of exploding and i still couldn't get warm. ahhh, winter.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

Zamboni dodging at the Olympic Oval.  I decided today was a good day to get back into some speed workouts, so I headed out to Kearns.  I like the light and the climate control, but I was quickly reminded why this is not my favorite place to work out.  There is just so much traffic on the track!  The one that really annoyed me was the girl who was running in lane one in the opposite direction of everyone else.  They now have designated lane directions that switch daily.  Today's direction was "backwards". (not running backwards, just clockwise instead of counterclockwise.)    I had to recalibrate my distances since it's not a 400 meter track.

 

My workout was 4 x (600-400-200) with 2 minute, 90 seconds, 1 minute recovery inbetween.  I usually just jogged a 200, or actually a 240 inbetween.  

Set 1:  2:06, 81, 39

Set 2: 2:03, 80, 38

Set 3: 2:02, 80, 38

Set 4: 2:02, 81, 38

I couldn't really seem to break out of that 80-81 pace.  Still, I recovered quickly and felt pretty strong.  This workout was designed to get some turnover going.  I'm trying to regain some leg speed after a summer of marathon training.  I actually love running track workouts.

Short cooldown.  I wanted to get out of there before 7 to beat the traffic on 5400S.

 

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Nov 25, 2013 at 09:01:49 from 98.202.196.31

Nice workout Em! I also hate the traffic on the track. Every time I run there, I am constantly dodging people. I bet it felt good to get some turn over on your legs! :)

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

My achilles were sore from the track yesterday.  Achilles soreness is okay.  Achilles strains are not okay.  I tried to warm them up properly before running, which is tough to do.  They take so long to get warm.  I will have to be careful as I incorporate speed work into my training again.

On the plus side, I feel much better than last week . . . a lot less clunky and out of shape.  Next week is going to be a challenge for training.  Teren will be traveling for work.  Time to hire all the teenage girls in my neighborhood for babysitting!

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Nov 26, 2013 at 10:25:56 from 199.190.170.30

Glad you are feeling good Emily. Bring your kids down my way next week and I'll watch them. :)

From Jenruns on Tue, Nov 26, 2013 at 11:48:19 from 98.202.196.31

I'll watch them...but that means we can't run together. But if you want to run around my house, drop them off! :) We need to get together anyways!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Cleaning your house from top to bottom counts as cross training, right?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.150.000.000.000.009.15

Thanksgiving morning run with Jenny from Murray Park to Wheeler Farm.  It was an enjoyable start to the holiday with one of my favorite people.  My brother in law joined us and managed to get 8.5 miles in.  He's only been running 3-4 a day, so I think he's going to feel it tomorrow.  

I really need to get some new running shoes.  I'm not sure I can brave Black Friday to buy them.  Nothing like following up gluttony with greed!  (Can you tell I'm not a fan of Black Friday!)

Happy Thanksgiving Bloggers!

 

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

Instead of getting up early to shop, I got up early to run.  I wanted to get my workout done in time to take zumba with some of my family.  I decided to run on the treadmill in order to avoid both the smog, and crazy shoppers speeding down the road to get to their deal.  I arrived at the health club to find that it didn't open until six.  (Come on.  It's called 24 Hour Fitness for a reason!)  

Finding myself with 20 extra minutes, I drove next door to Sport Authority.  I figured that if I needed new running shoes I might as well get a deal.  I watched people park and get in line either at Sport Authority or JoAnne's.  I made a game of guessing who would get in which line.  The ladies in mom jeans, turtleneck sweaters and 90's bangs:  definitely JoAnne's.  The homies in basketball shorts, hoodies, and backwards baseball caps:  Sport Authority.  I'm so easily entertained.

After purchasing my early Christmas present, I headed to the gym.  My hips and achilles were thanking me for the new footwear.  I felt so much better!  I warmed up 2 miles and then ran 8 x 3 minutes on/ 2 minutes off.  I started at 6:07 pace, and ended at 5:40 pace.  My recovery was at 7:30 pace.  This workout fell somewhere between a tempo run and a speed workout in effort.  I'm working my way up to 10-12 repeats.  8 was good for today.  I cooled down until I hit 10 miles.  67:43 for the entire workout.

Later AM:  Zumba with my sisters-in-law.   Lots of fun!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

It was such a beautiful morning, albeit pretty chilly to start.  I ran with Jenny on the wonderful Jordan River Parkway.  We ran 4.5 miles north and turned back.  Then, I ran another 1.5 south and back.  Only 2 turns in the whole run.  What excitement!  I felt pretty good, and it's nice not feeling so pounded.  Before I got new shoes, it felt like I was running in ballet flats on my runs.  It's nice to be getting rid of some of the aches and pains.  It showed in the run.  6:44 and 6:36 for the last two miles.  7:10 average pace.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.600.000.000.000.007.60

So-o-o-o warm this morning.  I'm going to miss the beautiful fall weather.  Winter comes tomorrow!  7:12 pace. 

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Dec 02, 2013 at 09:21:51 from 98.202.196.31

The weather is super warm today. I'm going to run in the afternoon so I'll be wearing shorts and a tank top (or sports bra if I'm feeling frisky!).

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Treadmill Tempo.  3 mile warm-up followed by a 5 mile tempo.  30:03.  6:00-6:01 pace.  Running in the afternoon is so much easier on the body than first thing in the morning.  No cool down.  I had to get home to the babysitter.  I'll probably regret that decision tomorrow!  

I cross trained by shoveling snow.  I didn't love it.

Comments
From Jenruns on Wed, Dec 04, 2013 at 11:26:34 from 98.202.196.31

What? You don't love shoveling snow? You are weird...

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Treadmill day #2.  I was making use of that monthly childcare payment.  Myles did great!  I got an entire hour of running before he hit his meltdown.  Progressively faster run with 5  2 minute hills thrown in.  I'm a little sore from yesterday.  I'm hoping to hit the great outdoors tomorrow!  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
12.000.000.000.000.0012.00

I don't get along well with the cold.  So, after two lazy days where I mentally berated myself for not going running, but somehow couldn't find the gumption to get out there, I thought I should probably run.  It helped that I had a partner to run with.

Expecting the worst, I layered up.  Happily, it wasn't too bad out this morning.  Jenny and I just kept a leisurly talking pace through the run.  At nine miles it started to snow, but we were almost done, so it wasn't too bad.  Sometimes it's really nice being the only crazy ones out running in the cold.    So, even though I was dreading it, it was a very enjoyable morning!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.500.000.000.000.007.50

Slip-slid my van up to the Olympic Oval for a workout on this balmy 8 degree morning.  I warmed up 15 minutes and then ran a fartlek workout.  1-2-3-2-1 minutes with 1-1-2-1-1 recovery.  2 sets.  I timed parts of it to see how fast I was running.  It was usually 83-4 pace on the fast parts.  1 mile cooldown.  Then I slip-slid down 5400 back to my house.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Dec 09, 2013 at 08:39:39 from 98.202.196.31

I'm proud of you! Nice job getting your workout in so early. I was just thinking to myself, "Self, I think we better ride the spin bike today".

From allie on Mon, Dec 09, 2013 at 13:26:17 from 174.23.137.233

it's great to have the oval on days like today. i really couldn't get going much faster than a jog. a slow, slippery jog.

nice workout, and nice job with the van maneuvering. it was slick out there this morning.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

On the treddy this morning.  Progression run.  It gets it done faster.  9 miles in 61:19.  Now, I'm tired.  I will need a nice easy run, tomorrow.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
4.170.000.000.000.004.17

Getting back on the horse . . . again.   30 minutes on treadmill.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Mon, Dec 23, 2013 at 20:47:33 from 98.202.196.31

Welcome back to the land of running. Glad you were able to run today! I've missed you!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.300.000.000.000.006.30

I got out for a rare afternoon run today.  It was beautiful out.  I thought that the river trail would be cleared off. I thought wrong.  It was like running on sheets of ice down there.  My average pace was 7:38, but mile 3 was 7:57 and mile 4 was 8:31.  I managed to make up a little time in the non-slippery parts of the run.  Still, I'm glad I got out to run.  It was nice just being by myself, even if it was really slick.  

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.300.000.000.000.007.30

I love Christmas runs.  I wanted to get up early and run, but I wasn't sure what time the kids would make their appearance.  So, I went after all the fun was over.  It is a beautiful day outside.  I ran the Costco loop and extended to hit 7 miles.  The roads were pretty clear.  There were a couple of sketchy spots where someone didn't shovel their sidewalk.  Overall,  I really enjoyed running this morning.  It's a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday.

7:08 average

Comments
From allie on Thu, Dec 26, 2013 at 13:58:19 from 198.134.93.254

i agree, christmas runs are great. i hope you and your family had a nice holiday.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.780.000.000.000.008.78

Since I don't plan on starting any speedwork for another week, I decided to push this run a little more.  I got a couple miles in the tempo-ish range.  I wanted to keep the overall pace under 7:00 per mile.  When I got back to my house, I was almost at an hour of running, so I decided to finish out the hour.  I made 8.78 miles in an hour of running.  6:50 pace.  I felt really good today.  I was glad that I was wearing bright pink.  People do not watch when they drive.  Even when it is bright daylight.  

Comments
From Jenruns on Fri, Dec 27, 2013 at 10:40:42 from 98.202.196.31

I agree. Drivers are the worst! I'm glad you were wearing bright pink! Great run! It's it nice to be able to run later in the day?

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
6.250.000.000.000.006.25

Easy treadmill run + Zumba.  Fun morning!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.520.000.000.000.0010.52

Gray, cold, and smoggy.  The worst kind of winter running day.  I ran down to the south end of the river trail to assess the run-ability.  Guess where the icy spots were.  7:18, 7:01, 6:55, 6:59, 6:47, 7:47, 8:13, 7:09, 7:08, 7:21, 3:35.  About 2 miles of the trail are clear.  We may need to re-assess where we run on our New Year's Day run.  Average pace, 7:14.  My hands hurt.

Comments
From allie on Sat, Dec 28, 2013 at 17:58:37 from 174.27.212.73

that's too bad that it's so icy. it seems like it would be clear, but then again that's a lot of miles of trail to maintain. we can always do SHP or liberty loops. or just wear ice skates?

good run today -- looks like mile 7 was particularly treacherous.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

I decided to get a little workout in today.  I warmed up 20 minutes, and then ran 10 x 2 minutes on/off, just trying to pick up my paces.  I cooled down until I hit 10 miles.  10 miles 67:38 total time.  

I will not hit 2000 miles this year because I've slacked off the last few weeks.  Looks like I have a resolution for next year!  Consistency is key.

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
8.170.000.000.000.008.17

Last run of the year!  I was a little stiff from yesterday's workout.  It took a couple of miles to get going.  It was a very nice morning and I was happy to be running.  8.17 miles in 7:14 pace.

I stumbled on this quote from Janet Cherobon-Bawcom and I love it.  Goals are important, but when you are so focused on outcomes, sometimes you forget to enjoy the journey.  My running has improved since I have adopted this outlook: to enjoy running and give my best every day.  Happy New Year!  I can't wait to run with all the girls tomorrow!

“These days, when I’m asked about goal setting, my response is simple – I avoid it. When we set goals, we do so based on the potential we believe we have, and we tend to be very poor at knowing what that really is – we either set goals so high that we live lives of frustration, or we set goals too low and never realize our full potential because we’ve defined success in terms of accomplishments instead of excellence. So many of our goals also seem rooted in how we compare to others – wanting to win, needed to be All-American, etc. That just seems artificial and empty – are we happy to win if others have a bad day? Have we failed if we run a PR but place lower because others have good days too?

Instead of picking events on the horizon or comparing myself to others to define success, I’ve decided that success for me involves waking up each morning, putting my best effort into that day, and then knowing that I’ll wake up the next day ready for whatever comes my way.”

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Dec 31, 2013 at 12:26:23 from 199.190.170.24

Thank you so much for sharing Emily. I love what you said about enjoying the journey - that is so much more important in my opinion that actually achieving the goal. 2014 is going to be great for you and I'm excited to see what untapped potential you will unleash. :)

From allie on Tue, Dec 31, 2013 at 15:55:05 from 174.27.212.73

that is an excellent quote.

happy new year and see you tomorrow!

From Jenruns on Tue, Dec 31, 2013 at 16:40:49 from 98.202.196.31

Thanks for sharing that quote. Man, you and I are just full of good quotes lately. Must be the end of the year and we must be doing some deep reflection. Thanks for making my running journey so great this year. I've had a lot of fun running/training with you. Let's keep it going in 2014! See you in the morning!

Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
1940.5419.000.0012.000.001971.54
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