Running in the Rockies

My nap made me cut my run short because I had to make dinner for someone in the ward. But, it felt good to get back outside. I'm actually going running with my friend tomorrow morning. She's the one I've been wanting to run with for a while, but have been nervous to ask because I run so much slower than she and her running partner. So tomorrow's blog with either be triumphant or from my hospital bed (hee,hee).

Ave pace: 11:05

Well, I went running with my faster friends today!! We met at 7:00 on a trail and headed off with a few snow flurries. It was a good, quick pace and they were very sweet to do all the talking since I was obviously breathing hard. I was able to stay with them for a mile and a half, until I finally told them to go on ahead. My goal is to be able to stick with them a little longer each Saturday. I actually caught up with them again at 2 miles because one of them had to use the glamorous port-a-potty (better than a VPB, though!). I turned around at 2 1/2 so I could get in 5 miles today; and as soon as I turned around those snow flurries that were just cute before, became brutal on my eyes. I pulled my hat down as far as I could, but I was still blinking and tearing, and occasionally I had to crane my head back to see if there were other runners that I was going to plow into. Anyway, my eyes survived and I was very surprised that 5 miles really didn't feel different than 4 miles. It was nice to be outside and to be able to run with some friends for part of it. It's also nice to have my run done by 8:15. Oh, that was funny - when I showed up at 7:00, I was the first car in the parking lot, and when I left, I had passed so many runners heading out, that the parking lot was crowded when I left!

Hopefully I can sneak in a nap some time today ...

Yet another day researching treadmills. On Saturday, we went to 3 different stores and today another one. We've looked online for the last month and on Consumer Reports. We've also debated the pros and cons of a gym membership vs. treadmill. I think we've finally decided on a treadmill and I think we'll get the one that we saw today. It sure isn't fun to part with so much money, is it? But hopefully it will see many, many... many years of service! ;o)

No run today. I missed the girls' 2 naps (which were oddly short today) and then spent the afternoon shopping treadmills and talking with my husband about it. I'll get out tomorrow though!!!!! Hold me to it!

Super Tuesday!! It probably won't end up how I hope, but at least we did our part tonight. I've never been to a caucus before - it was very interesting. And yet it seems futile since the delegates that we elected to go to the county (and the state) conventions are not bound to vote the way that we want. It seems like a truly flawed system. I wish all elections were by popular vote and we did away with conventions and the electoral college.

Anyway, the caucus took much longer than I expected - so my "maiden voyage" on my treadmill didn't begin till after 9:00 p.m. But that way, I could fully reap the benefits as it was 5 degrees outside, dark, and possibly dangerous. Yea for treadmills! It was fun to run only 12 feet away from my husband who was on our elliptical. ;o) So, while we sweat, we watched the first part of Much Ado About Nothing. Gotta love that one!

Another run on the treadmill. (Love that thing!!!!) I tried reading my book club book, but it really doesn't work. I have about 250 pages to read before last night!!! Ah!! I hate showing up without having read it. I did that so much last year that it was embarrassing! It's a great book too - Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier.

I used the heart rate monitor while running and I stayed pretty consistently in the 160's during the first 2-3 miles and then got up to the 170's the last mile or so.

So, I had my first track run today with my friend.  She did 4x1000 while I did 6x400 (is that how you describe track workouts?  I'm such a newbie, I don't even know the correct lingo. ha!)  It was fun to try something new even if it was hard. I think she does track workouts on Thursday, so I might go with her from now on.  It's nice because she can go at a faster rate than me, but we're still close enough together that we're not 'alone'.  Running is such a mental challenge as much as it is physical.  My 400's kept getting slower and slower, until I would remind myself that I'm stronger and faster than I think - and then I could pick up the pace again.  So interesting.   Maybe I should see a hypnotist to help me get better at running ... (hee,hee)

I went running with my friends this morning again on the trail. There were 4 of us today, though. The fourth one was actually a silver Olympic medalist in gymnastics!!! Amazing, huh? She was actually on the team with Mary Lou Rhetton. We have a gold Olympic medalist in swimming in our ward. Colorado Springs is so amazing with all the athletes. Not only do we have the Olympic Training Ctr, but it seems that the general population is much more active - there are tons of runners, cyclists, and hikers. Very fun.

Anyway ... my good friend, Lynn, stayed with me until I turned around at 2.5 miles. She was going 12 miles today. I felt better about keeping up with them compared to last week, but I think they were slower this week. It was such a pretty morning today. Even though it started out below freezing, when the sun came up, I heard birds singing and the stream gurgling next to me. It made me wistful for Spring, as I was running on my occasionally snow-packed trail. By the way, I didn't finish my book in time for my book club on Thursday, but I finished it last night. Excellent book, I thought (Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier).

You know the only funny thing about running so early in the morning when I'm used to running in the afternoon or evenings? I keep thinking that I need to go running and I have to remind myself that I already did! ha!

The first mile was really tough today - my breathing was surprisingly labored and my low back was hurting. But then, I got distracted by the different route that I took ... that actually got me lost for a while ... and it turned into a great run. (hee,hee) The Garmin hit 4 miles just as I got to my driveway which was pretty lucky with all my winding around. Coming downhill was fun just letting my legs go. I think that's what's helpful about downhill - training my legs to turn over faster since it's easier to do on my cardio. Felt like I could've gone further, but like I said ... I was home! ;o)

I really shouldn't count the first 1/2 mile, since I was walking on the treadmill instead of running. I was finishing up my phone conversation with my sister-in-law who just had a baby 2 weeks ago. She used to live here, so we had a lot of catching up to do. ;o)

So, 4 running miles on the treadmill while watching the first half of Cast Away this evening. Excellent movie - and since most of it is without words, it doesn't matter that I'm running at the same time! I kept it at about 11:00 pace to work on my base.

My friend called and had to cancel our track run today, so I'm on my own again today. I'm going to try the 2 a day running today and see if it works for me. It seems to work for many others on this blog.

Two miles on the treadmill right before lunch. It felt good at 11:00 pace. The last half mile, I worked it up to 10:00 because I kept wanting more!! I'll try and get 2-3 more miles tonight.

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Three more miles on the treadmill watching the last of Cast Away. Not exactly a romantic movie for Valentines, but I had a great man to hold me as I cried. :o) Such a touching movie!

So, I don't know if I like the 2-a-day. It's easier to get the runs done, but it makes you sweaty twice. So, do you shower twice? Hmmm.

Ran outside today. Beautiful weather! Getting up early to run with friends tomorrow. Stayed up too late tonight. Ugh.

Well, I had to pay the piper for staying up so late. It was much harder to run this morning with my friends - but I did it! 22 miles for the week!!! That's my best week so far! But my legs ached for a while afterwards and when we drove to Denver, I fell asleep whenever the car was moving (my husband was driving, just in case you had terrible visions of me sleep driving). Tomorrow is our 12th Anniversary, so we went to Denver and left the 3 girls with my older sister while we had a fun date.

I went to bed much earlier than usual last night because I'm so "tired" of feeling tired all the time. ;o) So, I could've run longer tonight, but I wanted to get a good night's sleep again. 2.5 on the treadmill. When the 11:00 pace started to feel too easy, I bumped up the incline a bit.

Happy President's Day!

Nice treadmill run. Not much to report - watched Mulan because I was still in an Asian mood after the book I finished reading this morning. :o) It's called Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. Great book!!!

This Thursday, I'm going to go see Spirit of the Marathon. Has anyone seen it? They had it in a few theaters last year and they sold out, but they're showing it again this year. Strange that it's out in the theaters again instead of being released on DVD, huh? Oh well. Hopefully it will inspire me further in my running!!

Track run today! Same as last time - 6x400, but I did much better this time ... probably because I didn't run yesterday. Last time I did a track workout, I had run the night before so I only had 12 hours to recover. My crazy friend did a SPIN class this morning at 5:30 before our track workout at 10:00. (crazy woman!) I was able to keep my pace around 8:30 during my 400 and then recovered around a 12:30. ha! I was actually really pleased with my speed and ability to keep all the 400's around the same. The last two were obviously a little slower.

An interesting thing: while we were running, there were 3 other women on the track. But their workout was very different than ours: they would run 2 laps, stop, take a drink, and then walk a lap and repeat. We chatted with them at one point and they're training for the Ft. Collins marathon and one of them had just recently run the San Francisco marathon. I kept looking at them like: wow, YOU just ran a marathon! So, it got me thinking (which is always dangerous, huh?) ... I'm feeling tempted to try for the 1/2 marathon in Ft. Collins. It's May 4th and the website claims that it's "the most scenic course in America." I wouldn't be surprised - it's on the road coming from Rocky Mountain National Park into Ft. Collins. So it's all downhill (which is good and bad!) Hmmmmmmm....

I'll have to stew on that one for a couple days! Maybe the movie tonight will further inspire me!

So, 2 big goose eggs in a row! What's the MATTER with me?!?!?! I can't tell if it's coincidental that my desire to run fizzled this week right after I watched Spirit of the Marathon or if I would've had a bad week anyway. It was a pretty decent movie - not what I was expecting, though. I guess I was hoping for more educational, physiological info instead of just ... the spirit of people who run marathons. In the film, you follow 6 people as they prepare for the Chicago marathon. Two of them are world class, 2 are repeat marathoners (one in his 70's), and 2 first timers. I will say it was pretty awe inspiring to see the mass of humanity (37,000) at the starting line of the marathon! The cumulative hours of preparation for that many people is staggering! But, for some reason, it didn't inspire me to want to run a marathon ... or run at all. Hmph.

Anyway, there's my weak excuse with no real substance. BUT, I do know ... next week will be better!!!

On the treadmill tonight. After 4 days of not running, it was actually pretty hard to finish that last half mile. I kept watching the clock and trying not to notice the time as I was watching the movie, Gandhi. It's a long one! I think I'll have to finish it during tomorrow's run.

Family home evening sure is funny with 2 children under the age of 2. Luckily our oldest was still somewhat listening as we were trying to talk about gratitude and all the things we're thankful for. Meanwhile, my 19 month old is climbing all over me and trying to take the pictures of Jesus - and my 10 month old was grabbing onto my clothes, trying to pull up to stand. I finally, laughed, and decided it was time to play games. I love my sweet girls. They're a handful, but sometimes, life is just so funny!!

So, last night ... I had every intention of running on the treadmill, but I made the mistake of starting our taxes. So, ... at MIDNIGHT, I finally went to bed - our taxes are done (not double-checked) and I never did run. It's funny - I can never seem to stop doing our taxes once I get started. The need to know how much we'll get back (or how much we'll OWE, as it turned out this year) becomes obsessive until I finally finish. ;o)

Anyway, today I attempted a track workout with Lynn; but after a 200 and a 400, I realized that my lovely bedtime had sabotaged my workout. So, instead of working on speed, I just ran 4 miles at a normal pace for me. So, she lapped me a couple times (ha!), but at least I got my 4 miles in and I feel great! We had rotten wind today, but beautifully warm temperatures - in the 50's! Saturday is supposed to get to 67!!!!! Can you believe it? But of course, it'll snow on Sunday. Gotta love Colorado Springs. :o) (I do, actually.)