All it takes is all you've got

16 miles in 7:04 pace

Couldn't decide whether to wear my screw shoes or not.  Did a 2 mile warm up in them and then decided to change into my regular long run shoes. It was slick in spots, but not terrible.

After 9 miles I did 2X5 minutes at MP with 3 minutes in between.  My 5 minute pushes were 5:53 pace.

Bonked pretty badly the last mile or two so because I don't usually run that far without fuel or water but I keep hearing about the theory of doing an occasional long run sans fuel to train your body to rely on fat, so I thought I'd give it a shot.   It was "fun."  I took a 1.5 hour nap later that afternoon which was heavenly.

8 miles in 6:58 pace (with 7 strides mixed in)

Decided to take the kids to FAC and do my run at 11 a.m. instead of trying to rush it at 7 a.m. before Bre's gymnastics class.  The weather was much more sunny and inviting at 11 a.m. the only problem was I wish I would have chosen something other than cereal with milk for breakfast because I think the milk was the cause of my intestinal pain.  Oh well.  It finally subsided after a pit stop at mile 3 thank goodness.

After my run I did some therapeutic dynamic stretching, showered, took the kids out to lunch, and met up with a good friend to let our kids play at the play place in McDonalds while we caught up on each other's lives.  It was great to enjoy adult conversation while the kids got some exercise.  

Then I went to Costco with all three tired and hungry kiddos which is always a TREAT and mind-blowing adventure.  The samples at least helped distract and soothe the kids amidst their deteriorating mental, physical, and emotional states.  I hadn't been to Costco in over 4 months, so my cart was full and my bill was enormous but it was good to stock up on lots of things that I now don't have to worry about purchasing for at least a couple more months. 

A.M. 10.5 miles

Our friend, Brenna came over to watch the kids so Aaron could come with me to the workout at East Boulder Community park.  We had a nice group of 10-12 people this morning with some fasties including Simon and Colleen.  Simon claims to be "out of shape" but apparently his "out of shape" is my "best shape of my life."  Despite his claimed 10 lb weight gain over the holidays he was still pushing me hard in the workout.  I guess when you are a former world champion triathlete there is an ingrained element of competitiveness that enables you to push it in workouts regardless of if you are "in shape" or not.  Colleen is getting into great shape again and it was fun to have her with us as well.  I was also loving having Aaron right next to me or ahead of me pushing the pace for many of the repeats.  I didn't realize when I married him how much SPEED he has!!

After our 20 minute warm up, stretching, and strides, the sun finally came up and started warming our backs...thank goodness because it was COLD!! 

The workout was 2X (1, 2, 3, 2, 1) with 60-90 seconds easy and 1, 2, 2, 1 with 60 seconds easy.  It looked a lot easier on paper than it was in reality.  Basically what it amounted to was 4.5 miles of 5:00-5:40 paced running in 10 degree patchy ice with many of the pushes up gradual inclines.  By the time we got to the final 1 minute I was so relieved to be finished and I kicked it hard down the snow packed street in sub 5:00 pace (Aaron was a solid 3-4 strides in front of me).

P.M. 4.5 miles in 7:00 pace

Coach D passed me in his car and waved as I was almost back to FAC.  Felt good to shake out my legs after the morning workout.  When I got back to FAC I did some good dynamic stretching, core work, and about 40 minutes of weights.  Solid day! 

12 miles in 7:02 pace

Today was my "long run" for the week because I decided to do a little 5k on Saturday.  Felt good on the run today.  Went in for a nice long massage with a therapist Sara Vaughn recommended, Stephen Bay.  He did some excellent, much needed deep tissue work on my lower legs and gluts.  My legs felt MUCH better afterwards.

9 miles in 7:06 pace

Met Renee and Austin Baille for a morning jaunt.  We did 8 miles together and caught up on the past couple of weeks.  They just got back into town after visiting family in Texas for the Holidays and racing twice (Renee ran a 15:54 road 5K, beating the next woman by over two minutes!)  Near the end of our run I started my "Zulu Fartlek" of basically 14 strides with easy jogging in between just to get a little speed stimulus before my 5k this Saturday.

I was going to get in another easy 4 in the PM but the day got away from me when it kept filling up with things......cleaning the van (it was bursting at the seams with crap), taking Abe to gymnastics, talking to Aaron about potentially going to France in May, dinner, cleaning up, and tucking kids in while Aaron went to the Church to coach the Young Men's basketball team.  My legs were still pretty sore from that deep massage yesterday so I figured a little rest wouldn't be a bad thing anyway.

7 miles in 7:06 pace

What a GORGEOUS day!!  I went for my run from FAC after taking Ali to her gymnastics class.  Started around 10:30 a.m. in the 45 degree sunshine.  All the snow and ice has completely melted off the Creek path and I was loving running in shorts again.

Did some good dynamic stretching for a bit, showered, and ate our home lunch with the girls at the tables in the lobby of FAC afterwards.  Saw Colleen and she wished me luck in the Quicker Quaker 5K tomorrow.  I'm really looking forward to racing!  Especially since the forecast looks like another warm sunny day!

Our babysitter arrived 5 minutes early (Thanks, Brenna!) but we still left the house 20 minutes later because we must have been overly optimistic about the morning routine.  We found ourselves going in and out of the house three times before actually driving off.  Arrived at the race 50 minutes before start time and Aaron dropped me off to pick up our race bibs while he found a parking spot.  We had a hard time finding each other again after he parked due to our poor communication, the 1000+ people wandering around and the unfamiliar packet pickup area but we finally hooked up again and started our warm up about 35 minutes before race start time.  We jogged the course and did some strides down the final half mile, then went to the car to change into shorts and take my long sleeve off since it was super warm and balmy (37 degrees).  We arrived at the starting line with 1 minute to spare feeling a little bit rushed and un-stretched which is not really unusual for me but still slightly uncomfortable.

The race went out FAST with Fiona Docherty at the front and Tera Moody and me stride for stride behind her.  Cassie Slade was right behind us within striking distance too.  We came through the first mile in 5:15.  My legs felt pretty flat but there I was.  Second mile had a steady climb and Fiona fell back while Tera and I pushed forward to a 5:28 split which felt much less comfortable and labored than the faster first mile.  The uphill in the second mile was very gradual but challenging.  The final 1.1 mile was fast and mostly downhill except for one short climb with less than a half mile to go where my respiratory rate shot through the roof  and oxygen debt set in (thank you 5,500 ft altitude).  I didn’t get the exact split on my final mile because I forgot to stop my watch at the finish but based on my calculations, it looks like I ran 5:07 pace for the final 1.1 mile.  Tera and I were together for most of the final mile and I started to feel unsure of whether I could stay with her when she surged up the short hill with less than a half mile to go but I just stuck to her like glue and then at the top of the hill I felt encouraged by the downhill finishing sprint and I surged hard to the finish, gaining just a few seconds on her.  It was a very close race and a tough sprint to the line.

After the race it was nice to catch up with Tera and Cassie.  Tera was really happy with the fact that she ran a minute faster than she did last year on the same course and encouraged by the fact that she is sharper in her fitness than she thought she was.  Cassie had done some extra intervals right before the race and was happy with her “workout race.”  She is looking fit and ready for the Houston Half.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to Fiona much but she is looking super fit too.  I love how I can jump into a regular “low-key” local race here in Boulder County and be pushed to very challenging effort and solid finish time (a 4 second PR, even!)

Aaron took a big chunk out of his PR finally eclipsing the 18:00 mark by 8 seconds.  He joined his “mountain men” ultra buddies for an easy 7 mile cool down while I did a shorter cool down with Tera and Cassie.  When I got back to the car and figured Aaron was still running, rather than just sitting in the car waiting for him, I went into the crowded cafeteria for some oatmeal pancakes, oatmeal banana muffin and fresh longmont dairy chocolate milk (Mmmmmmm……)  Tera said they didn’t have an awards ceremony last year so I assumed they weren’t having one this year either which was perfectly fine with me, I always get cold waiting around for those anyway.  I think I did win a couple hundred bucks which I assume they will send in the mail.  Super fun race!  All the runners even got a free canister of Oatmeal!

After a nice afternoon of rest and more food, now I’m heading to FAC for a session in the weight room and an easy 4 mile shake out run to complete another week of solid training for Houston.   Tomorrow…I will SLEEP.  A LOT.

8 miles in 6:55 pace

Went to FAC after Bre's gymnastics class for a nice run on the treadmill.  I prefer to run outside 99.9% of the time, but the overnight 12"+ of snowfall and -5 degree low made the treadmill look quite enticing actually.  And I must admit, it was nice to run in shorts and a tank top because 'cmon when was the last time I got to do that?...oh wait, just a couple of days ago I raced outside in shorts and a tank top.  Crazy Colorado weather changes.  

Did an easy 8 with 7X30 second strides mixed into my run.  Felt GREAT!

After much demonstration and urging by my ART therapist, Richey as well as my husband, Aaron, I have finally gotten into the habit of doing a nice dynamic cool down routine after almost every run.  Its easier to do at FAC since they have this big stretching room with mats and a bar to hold on to while I do my hurdle trail leg moves and leg swings.  And I can leave the kids in child care the extra 10 minutes and get the routine done quickly.  At home it takes more discipline to get the routine in because it seems that whenever I walk in the door from a run I suddenly have three needy kids with urgent requests.  I must say though, dynamic stretching is FABULOUS for recovery and is WELL WORTH the extra investment of time. Here is a video of my friend Sara Vaughn doing the Cannonball Cool down.  GOOD STUFF.  Only problem is that watching this video is making me miss summertime in Boulder. 

Went to FAC to do my workout on the treadmill since the paths are still quite icy and it was only 6 degrees outside this morning.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

4X45 seconds quick turnover (5:00-5:12 pace) w/75 second jog between each

3X4 minutes at 5:42 pace w/ 2 min jog between each

4X60 seconds at 5:12-5:18 pace w/60 second jog between each

4X2:30 at 5:21-5:24 pace w/ 90 second jog between each

2 minute jog between sets

10 minute cool down

The workout took me 1 hr. 24 min. and gave me 12 miles total, so 7:00 AP.

I actually quite enjoyed doing it on the treadmill because it was fast, efficient, and precise.  It was much easier to bust out 5:20-5:25 pace for that final set of 4X2:30 with the treadmill forcing me to move that fast than it would have been to willfully push myself that hard on a slippery path in 6 degree air.  In fact, I am certain I wouldn't have been able to do this workout at those paces outside today.  

After lunch I'll take a nap while the girls are napping and later this afternoon I'll head back to FAC for a 4 mile shake out run and an hour in the weight room.  The strategy here is to make Tuesdays and Friday my "workout" days so the other days can be devoted to recovery or long run.

10 miles in 7:02 pace

Felt great.  Went to see Richey for some ART and graston scraping today.  He blasted apart my right calf pretty good.  After a few days of icing twice a day and continuing to run the tightness and bruising should heal nicely.

I'm kinda bugged right now because I dislocated my shoulder again today.  I was trying to stretch out my 2-year-old's pant waistband because they seemed to be a little tight on her and just that simple movement of pulling the waistband apart yanked my shoulder right out.  I got it back in VERY quickly, probably record time for me (under 5 seconds for sure) but its still just a little disheartening when I try to do everything I can to keep it strong and it still slips out.  Sometime in the next few years I'm just going to drop the $12K and get that ligament repaired so I don't have to deal with these annoying episodes anymore. 

6.7 miles in 7:17 pace

Took me a few miles to actually get moving this morning.  I don't know whether it was the slushy path, my sore shoulder, tired legs, or the pain in my calf from severe graston scraping yesterday.  Whatever it was, I was appreciating the recovery day.

I thought the loop I set out to do would be 6 miles.  It turned out to be 6.7...oops. 

Met my team at Palo Parkway 

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

10 minutes at 5:39 pace w/ 3 minute jog

4X5 minutes at 5:24-5:44 pace w/ 2 minute jog between each

10 minute cool down

Legs felt great.  Conditions were good put not perfectly ideal with a few icy/chunky sections of the path to cover....solid effort though.

18 miles in 6:41 pace

Progression run, started at 7:40 pace and just kept bumping up the pace gradually.  It took my legs a few miles to actually start feeling good, but I finally loosened up after 5 miles or so and the pace started to feel much smoother.  Perfect long run conditions, clear shoulder on the roads with no ice, 43 degrees and overcast.  Took a Power Gel with 12 oz of water at mile 13 and drank another 12 ounces of EFS at mile 16.  Energy and hydration felt great!  Garmin says 700 ft of elevation change.  And the best part....my last three miles in 5:59 average pace.  Yay!!  

7 miles in 6:53 pace

7X30 second strides after a few miles warm up.  

Gorgeous morning!!  50 degrees, sunny, and very light misting in the air.  Felt like springtime!

My legs felt pretty tight and sore when I started but the run helped loosen things up.  I iced my right achilles/calf twice and went in for a massage this afternoon which felt heavenly.  Also did the cannon ball cool down twice today to help get my hips moving.

Met Colleen, Katie B., Robert, and Kristan at East Boulder Community Park.  Enjoyed the chatty warm up and stretching time while Robert was forced into listening to "girl talk" for the majority of it.  Haha, he's a good sport.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

3X2 minutes at 5:18-5:24 pace with 1 minute jog recovery

4X30 seconds at 4:45-5:00 pace with 1 minute jog recovery 

2X5 minutes, first one gradual up at 5:50 pace, second one gradually down at 5:30 pace (my legs started to feel pretty tired here) 2 minute jog recoveries

4X90 seconds at 5:06-5:20 pace with 1 minute jog recovery

10 minute cool down

P.M. 4 miles easy from FAC, weights afterwards

Went on a "date night" with Bre tonight and we ate A TON of yummy Indian food at our new favorite restaurant right around the corner from our house, Tandoori Grill.  We then went to the dance store to purchase some ballet and tap shoes and a couple of new leotards for Bre's new dance class.  Oh, how I LOVE shopping with that cutie!!!  Then we went to Boulder Chill for some frozen yogurt (since you're never too full for frozen yogurt) and we stopped off at Sunflower Market to get some bread since we were all out at home.  We may or may not have gotten sidetracked in the candy isle and purchased enough candy to sustain us for the next month.  That bulk food section is SO tempting!!  They must have had over 80 different types of candy, most of which I hadn't seen since I was 5 years old!  Fun date night.  I may have overdone it slightly.  Next time we'll just go for a hike.

11miles in 6:58 pace

Busy morning, rushing off to Abe's spelling bee right after my run and Bre's dance class after that.  Found out that a friend from the Running Republic Club, Cheri has a daughter in Bre's class too!  Yay for chatting with friends.  

After a big lunch of left-over curry, I went in for a massage while the girls were napping and Aaron was working in his basement dungeon office.  I've been working my body pretty hard lately, so it was time for a little R&R. 

A.M. 6 miles in 7:05 pace

Did my run on the treadmill at FAC since it was pretty slick out and I figured one fall per day is sufficient for me (I slipped on my own driveway while shoveling the snow this morning).

P.M. 4 miles in 7:15 pace

Nice easy afternoon run from my house.  I love that there is a Boulder City Ordinance requiring people to shovel the sidewalk in front of their houses.  It makes for a much more dry and pleasant afternoon run when the snow is cleared and the sun melts the remaining residue.  The temp is supposed to get up to 51 degrees again tomorrow which means bye bye snow...again.  Gotta love this snow/melt cycle.

Met Colleen at FAC for our workout on the Creek Path.  We waited for Katie B. but she never came...must have had bad traffic or an unexpectedly busy morning (she is a CEO, after all).  While we were standing around, Colleen invited her triathlete friend and neighbor, Joanna to join us since she was heading out for her workout anyway.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

8X800 Meters on the Creek path.  Odds were very slightly uphill with a mild headwind, evens were slightly downhill with a tailwind.  My splits on the first four were 2:41, 2:34, 2:38, 2:34.  Colleen reminded me that Darren wanted me to to pick it up for the next few intervals and I decided to just hit the last one hard too.  My last four intervals were 2:30, 2:28, 2:31, 2:29.  We did 2 minutes of active recovery after each interval and cooled down 10 minutes.

I was surprised by how strong I felt working into those faster final four repeats.  Definitely the fastest set of 8X800 M. I have ever done.  Colleen and Joanna did really great in their repeats too and gradually increased their speed as they went along as well.  Darren showed up on his bike just as we were finishing our final interval and biked next to us on our cool down.  Another gorgeous, sunny morning in Boulder as I found myself feeling SO grateful to be able to be out on a run with such great people and fast runners!  Oh, we also got to say hi to Tera Moody as she passed by, which was cool.  I guess she's in Boulder for the weekend; she normally trains in Co. Springs.

P.M.  Easy 4 mile shake out run

14 miles in 6:42 pace

Started my run with Aaron from home up into Eldorado Canyon.  After our first 6.5 miles together, he took off up the Mesa Trail to get more "elevation change" and I headed back on the roads.  I still ended up with 640 ft of elevation change over 14 miles...not bad for a roadie.

Did my last three miles in 6:11 pace into a stiff headwind. 

Beat Aaron home by 30 minutes, showered, made a big brunch of french toast to enjoy with Aaron and the kids.  After brunch, I took a nap and now we're headed off for some hiking in the 45 degree sunshine and then to the CU indoor track to cheer for Sara V. and Renee as they chase a sub 4:48 mile.  After that we'll go to FAC so Aaron and I can get in a little weight room workout while the kids play in the kids club.  Top it all off with dinner at a delicious restaurant TBD and you've got one FUN-FILLED SATURDAY!! 

6 miles in 6:47 pace

7 strides mixed in.  Legs felt fabulous!  Coach D is giving me a little taper this week so I can go get 'em in Houston on Saturday. 

A.M. 9.5 miles with the workout.

Our friend and babysitter, Brenna watched the kids so Aaron and I could meet Colleen, Simon, and Katie B. at FAC for our workout out on the East Boulder creek path.  

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

5X4 minutes at 5:16-5:35 pace (some slightly uphill, some slightly downhill) with 2 minute jog between each

12 minute cool down

Short and sweet!  I love taper weeks like this.  Less running volume leaves more time and energy for other things I need to do like a 2-hour Costco trip this afternoon, cleaning the house, washing all the clothes and sheets, matching up and organizing all the kids shoes scattered throughout the house, you know, general Mom stuff.  Hopefully by Thursday I will have my bags packed, house in order, and food stocked so that Brenna and her husband, Spencer can have an easier time watching our kids while we're in Houston. 

P.M. 4.5 mile easy run and weights 

7.5 miles in 6:58 pace

Nice easy run in the sunshine this morning.  35 degree sunshine felt like heaven compared to the 15 degree overcast chill we had yesterday morning.

I got free gift of three new pairs of Mizuno shoes today (Wave Ronin, Precision, and Rider).  It felt like Christmas opening the boxes to see what was inside and try them all on.  I have been talking to a really kind and friendly gentleman, Ron Wayne at Mizuno about representing them through the next year and I am strongly considering it, but still undecided.  Its tough to decide which shoes I want to commit to wearing all the time. Through the years I've worn everything from Saucony, Brooks, Mizuno, Nike, New Balance, Asics, Adidas and New Balance.  I guess you could say I'm an equal opportunist.  Recently I've been wearing Nike more often because of the club discount and requirement that club members race in Nike but there are SO many great companies and comparable products out there it is not easy to decide on just ONE shoe company.  I'm hoping it will become more clear to me over the next month or so because I'd really like to stop stewing about it and just commit.

A.M. 4 miles in 7:08 pace

Beautiful morning!  Left calf is pretty tight.

P.M. 3.5 miles in 7:18 pace

My left calf and hip flexor were not particularly agreeable today.  Did some dynamic stretching afterwards and iced my left lower calf.  I guess it wouldn't be a proper race taper without some annoying niggles sprouting up.  Aaron is going to rub them out tonight and I'm hoping the strides tomorrow will help flush out my legs too.  Flight to Houston early tomorrow morning!!  I'm getting SUPER excited!!

Nice easy run in Houston with Aaron and Colleen.  Some stretching, strides, and 4X45 seconds at race pace.  Dynamic stretching in the hotel afterwards.  Fun day in Houston with an athlete lunch and dinner where we got to meet many runners, Coaches, and cool people at USATF.

As much as I would have enjoyed staying in Houston an extra day to see the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday (Colleen Won 1st place in the half!), I am glad we flew back home last night so we could spend the day with the kiddos, go to church, take naps, and recover from the trip and race.  I woke up at 6 a.m. and couldn't fall back to sleep because I was too excited to see the kids. After stewing in bed for 20 minutes I finally got up and made a big batch of pancakes.  The kids started filing out of their bedrooms one by one and we enjoyed an early breakfast together.  There is no place like home with my family.

Coach gave me two days completely off after the race so I didn't quite know what to do with myself this morning.  Took a nice long shower, did three loads of laundry, went to get a massage in the afternoon, and played with the kids.