All it takes is all you've got

AM 8 miles in 7:22 pace

PM 4 miles in 7:22 pace

Hmm. Seems to be a trend in my pace here.  Strange.

My PM run started off with a tight side stitch that I had to stop and stretch twice then it finally went away after a couple of miles.  I hate those things. 

12 miles in 7:22 pace

Okay now THAT is strange.  Apparently I've now run 24 miles in an average 7:22 pace over the past two days.  My legs must be locked into third gear or something.  Or my Garmin is locked into that pace?  No I don't think so.  I think its me.  Oh well, it felt good.

This morning's run was particularly enjoyable because I joined Kristen, Renee, and her husband, Austin for a nice run in the beautiful 37 degree sunshine.  It feels like October!  I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner.  This is definitely the warmest Colorado winter I have experienced in my 6 years here and I'm LOVING it!!

6 miles in 7:42 pace

My morning started off with the fresh smell of puke wafting under my door.  Upon discovering that Breanne had spewed a puke bomb from the top bunk at some point last night, I went to work scrubbing it up while pleading with Bre to please tell me immediately after such events occur in the future.  It took me a good 40 minutes to get every last drop of crusted regurgitated pizza and as I was doing so, Abe came in to declare that he hated school and never wanted to go again.  OKAY, where did that come?  So now I'm scrubbing puke off the floor while putting all my mental effort into dissuading Abe from his newfound decision.  Apparently he would much rather stay home and play with the girls all day than get dressed, walk to school, and be taught fun and interesting things with all the other 6 year olds in our neighborhood.  Hey, I don't blame him; some days I'd rather play all day and have no responsibilities too.  In the middle of our discussion the girls interrupted to notify me that they needed baths so I filled the tub while continuing my in-depth discussion with Abe.  

With the girls now playing peacefully in the tub, I went back to work scrubbing puke shrapnel off the sides of the furniture and bunk bed. Haven't I learned in my 6+ years as a Mother that quiet kids are almost assuredly making trouble?  As I went to check on the girls in the tub I saw water creeping out the door and a large pool of bath water little Ali had been so innocently dumbing from the tub.  I was about to snap when I realized Aaron would be back from his run in 5 minutes just in time for me to walk Abe (who was now begrudgingly dressing himself) to school.  I hurried and got my running clothes and shoes on while Aaron walked in the door to the scene of four towels on the bathroom floor, a screaming, naked two year old in time out in her puke smelling room, and a sick four year old still relaxing in the tub.  I cannot tell you how happy I was to leave and walk Abe the peaceful half mile to school.  Abe had finally worked through his mental block and was back on board with going to school (thank goodness).  I was happy to be out in the fresh, albeit windy, air for my morning run.  Upon my return Aaron had cleaned up the girls and they were dressed and ready to leave for Ali's 9:15 a.m. parent-tot gymnastics class.  I showered, dressed, heated up a slice of left-over pizza from last night, and while driving to gymnastics, ended up giving my pizza to Ali who was apparently starving.  After gymnastics we had a girls "brunch" at the Danish Pastry Shop right next door to the Little Gym.  Veggie quiche and a strawberry rhubarb tart capped the morning off perfectly.

P.M. 4 miles in 7:45ish pace

Decided to get out for another short run.  Aaron was out checking in on properties this afternoon so I took the kids to FAC and ran on the treadmill.  The guy in front of me had really bad gas and I almost passed out the four times he passed gas but I barely withstood it.

After my run Aaron stopped by and we took the kids swimming and relaxed in the hot tub.  I saw a triathlete friend I hadn't seen in a while, Uli.  It was good to say hi and catch up a bit with her; she said she is considering running the Houston Marathon during her off season which is cool since I'll be there for the Half the day before.

Met the team at Palo Parkway

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

15 minutes at half marathon effort (5:40 pace)

3 minute jog

3X4 minutes with 2 minute jog in between (5:36, 5:38, 5:26 pace)

The last one was slight downhill and was also designed to be faster the last two minutes to simulate a race finish.

The group was big and fun this morning.  Jeff led the group as the De Reucks are in Florida for USATF meetings.  

Richey (our ART guy) was out running with the group today after a few months hiatus and I REALLY appreciated his observation and analysis of my form as well as his generous willingness to do some Graston scraping on my hip and achilles after the workout.  He noticed that when I run fast my left foot angles outwards while my right foot stays straight.  He thought it meant that I either have some weakness in my left adductor, a really tight left glut/hip/or hamstring, or just a simple form flaw.  Whatever it is, I'm going to work towards correcting it, starting with strengthening my left adductor with pulley exercises in the gym.  I am well aware that my left hip and adductor are less flexible than my right and its been that way as long as I can remember.  Back in college I almost exclusively hurdled the Steeplechase barriers with my left leg out in front because I could get my right hip into that 85 degree angle position much easier and not have to jump as high to clear the barrier.  When I was forced to jump right leg out in front to avoid stagger stepping it, I felt more taxed and awkward because my left leg wasn't as flexible and I had to jump higher to clear the barrier.  So what can I do to make my hips equally flexible?  Yoga?  Steeplechase drills?  Walk over low hurdles?  Pulley exercises? All of the above?  Time to get to work.

9 miles in 7:09 pace

Early morning run on a busy day.

Did 6 strides after I was warmed up.  Also focused on keeping my left foot straight on the foot strike which felt like it was activating my left adductor more (probably a good thing).

Met with the RRB group at East Boulder Community park

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1 Fartlek with 1 minute jog between the 1 & 2 and 2 minute jog between the 3 & 4.  It felt pretty easy and fun.  My pace was between 5:00-5:45 pace throughout the intervals.

10 minute cool down

My right calf is tight.  ART with Richey tomorrow. 

8.5 miles in 7:30ish pace

Met Renee and Sara Slattery at the Baseline parking lot for an easy run on East Boulder Creek Path.  I felt great and really enjoyed the good conversation.  The miles passed quickly.  Got some ART with Richey this afternoon.

8 miles in 7:27 pace

Met Colleen, Renee, and Austin for an easy 8 miles this morning.  Legs felt great and the weather was FABULOUS!  Wow.  I can't believe its actually December.  It felt like 60 degrees out there in the warm Colorado sunshine.  

Tomorrow morning we fly to Charlotte, NC for the Club Champs.  Renee and I are on the same flight so we're carpooling to the airport.  The De Reucks arrive a little bit after us and Sara S. and Sara V. arrive just before us.  Fun weekend ahead!  YAY for Cross Country!

5 miles easy

Arrived in Charlotte around 4pm. Changed into running clothes, got the rental car, and drove straight to the course with Renee, Sara S. and Sara V.  Jogged the course at dusk and did a few strides in my spikes.  Felt really good considering I just got off the plane.

Went back to the hotel to shower and then met Sara Slattery's cousin at a yummy Greek Restaurant in downtown Charlotte.  Delicious food and good company.  After dinner we stopped by the De Reuck's hotel to chat and say hi to all the RRBs.  Colleen gave me my race uniform and we headed back to our hotel and went to bed.  Nothing like four girls sharing two double beds to remind me of Cross Country trips at BYU years ago.  The evening was a nice opportunity to unify as a team and get psyched for the race. 

Slept in ’till 8:30am and then headed out for to get some food at the grocery store since the free breakfast at the hotel consisted of pastries and sugar cereal (inadequate race day fuel.)

Went to the course around 11:30 am just as the Masters Men’s race began.  Cheered for our RRB team and chatted with other friends floating around including two BYU alumni friends, Rena Chesser and Emily Raymond (AKA Mars).  Mars was easy to spot with her sweet nubby hairstyle just as she has always done for Cross Country races.  Rena also stood out as I noticed her BYU jacket.  It was nice to see them and catch up on each other’s lives.

Walking around with my RRB girls, we said hi to the McMillan girls and a few others and then headed out for our warm up.  Sara S., Sara V., and Renee were content with 20 minutes but Colleen and I (marathon legs) needed a few more.  The highly wooded terrain negated the need for porta potties on our warm-up.  About 15 minutes before the start, Coach D gave us our bibs and chips, we changed into our spikes and got bib checked at the starting line.  Four or five strides and some good stretching, and I was READY.  The gun went off right on time and the race went out fast.

I kept myself within the top 8-12 women (perfect view of the front).  Renee was right up in front either setting the pace or just staying equal with another woman.

I knew before the race began that Renee and Desiree Davilla would be the most likely contenders for the win and I wanted to be right in that mix.  I wasn’t sure if I had the fitness to hang on with them the entire way and I had no idea what kind of pace they’d run but I had the drive to take the risk.  I was pretty zoned in and didn’t actually get any of my splits on my watch but after asking Renee afterwards what her splits were, I can guess pretty closely what my own splits were.  My first mile was about 5:25 with Renee and five or six others in front of me.  There was a short, steep uphill followed by a short, steep downhill after the first mile where I felt pretty strong on the way up and out of control on the way down, but at least it helped break up the pack a little.

The pack slowly started to dwindle and by mile two it was down to Renee, Desi, some NY runners, and Me.

Second mile was about 5:20.  I was feeling smooth and strong and felt confident I could keep that pace for another 1.72 miles.  I don’t remember much about the middle part of the race other than just keeping contact with Renee and Desi and staying confident.  At one point just before mile 3, Desi threw in a surge and almost ditched Renee and me.  In a desperate attempt to help Renee and myself avoid being left in the dust I said “Good job Renee, lets go” and we both lifted our our eyes and stay glued together.   Renee responded to Desi’s every move and I fastened my seatbelt.  Mile 3 was 5:17 and Desi threw in another surge shortly after which felt like we were doing sub 5:00 pace for a bit.  Renee and I stayed on her heels and didn’t let her get away.  The second time up the steep hill was where my wheels started to fall off.  Renee and Desi surged up the hill and gained a few strides on me.  I charged back down the hill and almost caught Desi at the bottom but Renee charged even harder and already had a good 5 strides on both of us by the time we got to the bottom of the hill.  400 meters to go and I gave it everything I had but Renee and Desi had more.  Renee pulled out 3 seconds ahead of Desi who got 2 seconds on me.

We finished and patted each other on the back for a race well fought.  Wow what a rush!!  Those short races are such a super intense shot of adrenaline and the next thing you know, its over.  Twenty minutes just FLIES by.  As soon as I could stand up straight again I walked back to watch for the purple uni’s (Sara S., Colleen, and Sara V.)  I realized right away that the hordes of women coming in meant a much more deep and competitive field than we anticipated.  With favorable conditions and many elite teams coming out for the race it turned out to be a very fast and fun event!  When all was said and done we ended up fourth place as a team just behind some very respectable women (McMillan, Boulder Running Company, and Hanson’s-Brooks.)

Here are some pics of my teamies:

Renee capturing the WIN

Sara Slatt’s game face is ON

Colleen shooting down the hill

Go TEAM VAUGHN!!

I REALLY enjoyed the race and was very pleased with the outcome.  I got to chat with my BYU buds, Mars and Rena some more on our cool down and then my teammates were kind enough to take my stuff back to the hotel so I could run the two miles from the course to the hotel and complete my day at 12 miles (does that count as a long run, Coach?)

We got Sara S. to the airport just in the nick-o-time to make her flight back to Denver and Renee, Sara V. and I turned in the rental car and hung out in the airport for a few hours together before our flight finally took off.  No shower after the race but at least I had some clean clothes to change into.   Some fun conversation and yummy food made for a nice evening despite having to wait an extra hour for our delayed plane.

MEANWHILE…BACK AT THE RANCH……

Friday, Aaron came down with some food poisoning and was flat on his back when I called him that night.  Over the phone, I walked Abe through getting Aaron a water bottle of EFS electrolyte drink and some cola syrup.  I also asked Abe to help Bre brush her teeth and tuck her in (Ali had already tucked herself in earlier).  Saturday morning Aaron was feeling well enough to take the kids to the “breakfast with Santa” event at the Church but felt tired afterwards so he put a movie on for the kids so he could sleep some more.  After using the restroom and then going back to his movie, Abe started hearing a dripping sound from the ceiling and went in to tell Aaron that something was wrong.  Aaron awoke to an overflowing upstairs toilet with gallons of water seeping into the girls room, down the hall, and through the ceiling into the basement.  He quickly threw towels on the pooling water in the upstairs and sopped up the additional swimming pool in the basement hall and furnace room.  Then he went out for a run since the babysitter was all arranged anyway and he called one of his contractors to come clean up the mess.  By the time I got home Saturday night at 11pm the house was completely cleaned up (other than three or four loads of towels going through the laundry).  Another testament to Aaron’s amazingness!!  Thanks, hon for taking such good care of the kids (and letting them take care of you) and for getting the house back in good order before I returned!

Thank you, Michael Scott and my teammate Laura Bruess for the pics!!

9 miles in 7:16 pace

Calves felt pretty tight and quads were pretty tired from Saturday's race.  Took me a few miles to warm up and I stopped to stretch for a few minutes just to get everything moving.  Then I did 6 strides with a minute easy in between and the rest of the run felt much easier.  I'm pretty amazed my calves aren't more sore considering the fact that Saturday was the first time I had worn spikes in over 7 years!!!   I didn't even do any workouts in spikes.  The most I did was some strides Friday night on the course.  Next year I think I'll at least do a few workouts in spikes beforehand.

A.M.  Met the RRB group (including Renee) at East Boulder Community park

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

5:49 steady controlled (Oops!  It was supposed to be 5 minutes but Renee and I went a different way and couldn't hear Darren's whistle...my bad).  Our pace was just barely sub-6:00 pace on a gradual uphill.

2 minute jog 

4X90 seconds in 5:13-5:30 pace with 1 minute jog between each

5 minutes steady controlled in 5:42 pace

2 minute jog 

6X45 seconds hard.  This is where it really helped me to have Renee there...that chick has WHEELS!!  Renee was out in front of me and I just tried to pick up my legs and stay close.  I was running between 4:30-5:00 pace on each.  It felt great to get my legs moving FAST and work on my quick turnover.  Somewhere deep inside I do have some fast twitch muscle...not a lot...but some.  :)

As soon as I got home from the workout I showered, ate breakfast, and took the girls with me to meet my ART guy, Richey at the Fairview track.  It was a gorgeous 60 degree day today...perfect day to be out on the track.  Richey and his cohort (partner in crime?) Jay Johnson had me running strides at different paces and filmed me from behind and the side in three different pairs of shoes AND barefoot.  Richey is now in the process of analyzing that video footage and refining his recommended plan for exercises I can do to help my make my form more efficient.  He had written a rough draft of the plan and after he filmed me, he demonstrated all of hte exercises to me so I can get started.  Thanks SO much for your time and expertise, Richey!!  It was nice to meet Jay as well and get to know him better....SUPER nice guy who obviously knows a TON about long distance running.

P.M. Easy 4.5 miles in 7:19 pace

Felt great to shake out the legs after this morning's workout. 

9.5 miles in 7:14 pace

Met Renee and Sara S. for a nice run on East Boulder creek path and a little loop around the research park CU cross country course.  Good pace and good company.

Right after our run I drove the four minutes to Flatiron Athletic Club (drinking a water bottle full of Ultragen and and eating an energy bar on the way).  Aaron was kind enough to drive the girls and meet me at FAC so I wasn't too late for my appointment with Colleen.  I checked the girls into child care and met Colleen for my first personal training session.  She really knows what she is doing because I felt my core activating and my leg muscles mobilizing in every exercise she had me do.  Good stuff!!   I'll definitely be back for more.

6 miles in 7:39 pace

Took it nice and easy today to shake out the legs after all that new stuff Colleen had me doing yesterday.  I'm just a little bit sore, not bad though.  I was considering going to the plyos class that the De Reuck's teach tonight but I don't think its a great idea since we have our second workout this week on Friday instead of Saturday and I am a little sore still.

I'm so sad because I broke my favorite sunglasses yesterday when they got caught on my arm as I was swinging my bag over my shoulder.  Since getting Lasik surgery back in 2008, sunglasses had become a required piece of running gear (for UV and wind protection). I was rewarded with the Native Eyewear pair after winning the Denver Skirtchaser back in 2009 and I wore them nearly every time I ran (and raced). Before having the high quality Native Eyewear glasses I always just bought cheap $10 glasses at Wal-Mart or wherever but now that I've seen the light (through high quality sunglasses) I definitely appreciate quality.  I may just have to bite the bullet and get a new pair.

Met my team at Palo Parkway

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

4K steady controlled (5:58 pace)

3 minute jog

2K at 10K effort (5:39 pace)

5 minute jog

2K at 10K effort (5:41 pace)

15 minute cool down 

Went to a rockin' RRB club Christmas party tonight and REALLY enjoyed getting to know all the RRBers better.  The food was excellent, awards ceremony hilarious, and conversations were muy etretenido.  I was also glad to finally ditch that 64 ounce beer mug (race prize) in the white elephant gift exchange.  You're welcome, Tony. 

Thanks for a GREAT year, Darren, Colleen and the Running Republic of Boulder!! 

15 miles in 6:49 pace

Serene, peaceful long run in the beautiful sunshine!!!  That East Boulder Creek path is packed with fast runners on Saturday morning.  I just happened to be running next to an elite guy for a few miles....arg...for the life of me I cant remember his name!  He trains with Boulder Express and has run 1:03 in the half.  We passed my RRB buddies, Cathy and Pete.  Then I saw Andrew Leatherby and Benita Willis, two international world class runners who train here; they charged past me as I was coming back on my out and back run.  Fun fun!  And now I'm excited to hear about Aaron's 50K in Fort Collins today. 

9 miles in 7:08 pace

Took the kids to FAC and did my run from there so Aaron could get going on his work.  Did 6 strides after a few miles of warm up.  Saw Benita (again) with James Carney this time.  I really ought to stop her next time I see her and chat so we can connect for a run since we seem to run at the same time and place anyway.

When I got back to FAC I did some of the exercises Richey showed me last week as well as a few of the strength exercises I did with Colleen last week.  Felt good to move in directions other than specific running motion.

For family night we took the kids to Jungle Quest and had a blast swinging, zip-lining, and rock climbing in the spacious indoor jungle.  Then we went to Cinzettis for kids eat free night.  It was super packed but worth the wait.  Aaron and I both agreed we ate more than we "needed" but it was so delicious and we figure its okay to do that every now and then.   Best family night of the YEAR!!

A.M. 4.5 miles in 7:40 pace

Easy jaunt around Research Park in my Frees.  Felt good on my feet.

P.M. 9.5 miles for workout

Met my team at East Boulder

20 minute warm up, stretching, potty stop under the bridge with Katie F. and strides.

3X2 minutes at 10K effort w/ 1 min jog (5:45, 5:30, 5:18 pace)

2 min jog

4X30 seconds hard w/ 1 min jog (4:45-4:50 pace)

2 min jog

2X4 minutes at half marathon effort w/ 1 min jog (5:30, 5:28 pace)

2 min jog

4X1 minute hard w/ 1 min jog (5:05-5:20 pace)

10 min cool down

Fun workout with fun people.  Jason the Doctor is getting FIT!  I think he said he's lost like 20 lbs recently.  That guy is pushing me hard on the shorter intervals and killing me to keep up with him on those 30 second intervals.  Its nice to have someone up front again since John is injured and Simon has not been coming much.

10 miles in 7:19

Met Sara Vaughn for some running on the East Boulder Creek path.  I really enjoy chatting with that woman!  In addition to having two kids of her own and being able to relate to Mom things as well as runner things, she is also very intelligent, intuitive, and interesting.  We talked about everything from proper running form and footwear, to polygamy (strange, I know), to morning sickness and puking.  All very fascinating topics!   The time flew by, needless to say.

I also got to meet Sara's husband, Brent and their two adorable daughters later tonight when they came over for dinner.  More good conversation and good times were had by all.  One of the big bonuses of living in Boulder is definitely the opportunity to become friends with cool running couples like the Vaughns.

13 miles in 7:25 pace

It was a cold, humid morning.  No snow, but quite a bit of fog on the creek path.  I decided to throw in one MP mile after I'd been going for an hour mostly in a desperate attempt to warm up.  It helped a little.  I couldn't get my legs moving faster than 5:51 pace for that mile though.

This afternoon I put the kids in front of a movie and locked myself in the guest bedroom for a bit to get some "Santa" wrapping done.  There is still a lot to be done before Christmas morning...I'm getting closer though.  Aaron and I may be up until midnight tomorrow night assembling a trampoline in our back yard.  Those Christmas morning jumps and squeals will be well worth it!  I'm just glad there is no snow in the forecast.

A.M. 6.75 miles in 7:29 pace

Aaron's sister and her family stopped in late last night en route from Dallas to SLC and we were happy to be able to enjoy a nice big, long breakfast with them this morning.  French toast, fruit, egg nog, and apple juice fueled my run when I finally got out the door around 10 a.m. 

P.M. 4.75 miles in 7:48 pace

Took the kids to FAC at 2:30 p.m.  My legs were tired and a little stiff which lead me to believe there was not enough time between my A.M. and P.M. runs but I had to go at that time because the club closed at 4:00 p.m. today and I had to leave time for a nice soak in the hot tub afterwards.  Ahhhhhh.....hot tub.......

Merry Christmas EVE!! 

Merry Christmas!!!

Our Christmas morning started at 6:45 a.m. I was very pleased that my 6 yo didn't wake us up earlier.  He said he did wake up at 5:20 a.m. and took a sneak peek at the loot but decided to obey my request to not wake everyone else up until after 6:30 a.m.  He must have still been tired because he fell back asleep and our 2 yo was the one waking everyone up at 6:45 a.m.  The best part of the morning was when, after slowly taking turns opening their presents one at a time the final present under the tree was unwrapped and Aaron and I called the kids attention to the fact that their was wrapping paper covering the back door to the yard.  When our two oldest ripped off the wrapping paper and revealed the new trampoline, squeals of excitement echoed through the house!  It was AWESOME!!!  It is definitely the favorite gift and my oldest two are jumping on it right now in the 50 degree sunshine.  Another GORGEOUS December day!

For my workout I left around 10 a.m. for a 30 minute warm up.  My RRB friend, Jeff met me out on Marshall road where I would do my intervals.  He was on the bike riding next to me timing my intervals and giving me updates and pointers.  Thanks Jeff, you were VERY helpful!!  I planned to do a U-turn in each interval to practice keeping pace despite a sharp turn-around since the course for the Houston half has six U-turns scattered throughout.  Supposedly the course we are running for the Houston half is two laps of the Olympic Trials marathon course.  I wish it didn't have so many U-turns.  That'll be 12 U-turns for the marathon, not to mention many other curves and turns...annoying.  I understand its very spectator friendly and all, but man...couldn't they simplify that at least a little?

Anyway, back to the workout....

5X6 minutes at half marathon pace with 2 minutes jog between each.  Pace was 5:37, 5:34, 5:29, 5:34, 5:29. 

I felt really solid on these intervals despite getting poor sleep a few different nights this week and completing my week at 70 miles.  Yay for a big, solid week of training!  What a blessing!! Today was the cherry on top as I enjoyed the beauty of the moment...sun shining down on me as I pushed through a tough workout in my shorts and a t-shirt (in DECEMBER!!) Five weeks to Houston.

I hope all you bloggers are having a wonderful Christmas!!! 

A.M. 8.5 miles in 7:03 pace

Legs felt good.  Did some strides after a few miles. Gorgeous 38 degree weather.

P.M. 4.5 miles in 7:19 pace

Dark, peaceful, and slightly creepy at times.  I need to get out the door for that second run before 4 p.m. so I don't have to take my headlamp. 

A.M. Easy 4 miles in 7:11 pace. Nice run around the CU cross country course.  Felt good to shake out my legs. 

P.M. Met my team at Potts field for some running on the creek path.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

4X90 seconds w/ 1 min jog between (5:16-5:18 pace)

2 minute jog

5 minutes at half marathon pace (5:32 pace)

2 minute jog

4X75 seconds w/1 minute jog (5:14-5:30 pace)

2 minute jog

5 minutes at half marathon pace (5:32 pace)

10 minute cool down.  Great workout with cool people.  Looking forward to seeing Richey for some ART on my calf tomorrow....its a little tight.

11 miles in 7:17 pace

Had a nice run on the East Boulder creek path with the cows this morning.  I considered playing "the ground is lava and you have to step on the stepping stones to survive."  You know, that awesome game we used to play as kids with the couch cushions?  I still play it with my kids sometimes.  But this would have been even MORE awesome.  I easily could have covered at least a mile of terrain using only cow pie stepping stones.  It would have been a record, I'm sure!  I wonder if there is a record in the Guinness book for this exact thing?  I bet there is.

Well, not today....maybe another time.  Today I decided to receive a warm welcome back home by my kids rather than being banished due to the stink. 

A.M. 6.5 miles in 7:14 pace

Now THAT is the wintertime in Boulder I know and love.....WHITE OUT!!  I saw Simon and Colleen run past when I was about four miles into my run.  The blinding snow disabled me from recognizing them until we were four feet apart at which point I spontaneously blurted out "SIMON" just to let them know I was alive, and I continued on my blustery way.

P.M. 4.5 miles in 7:30 pace 

Met Coach D at FAC for a nice chat and to touch base on training for the next few months.  He went over a lot of very important training and racing details and we formulated my specific"plan."  It was great to get some one on one time to pick his brain and make sure I'm doing the right things.   I'm looking forward to another session in the gym with Colleen tomorrow.

After chatting with Coach for an hour or so, I headed upstairs for another easy run on the treadmill while the kids continued to enjoy themselves in child care.  I love the fact that every time I pick my kids up from child care at FAC they don't want to leave.  It means they are enjoying themselves and being enriched while I get my stuff done. 

7 a.m. 5 degrees.  13 inches of fresh powder.  12 screws in my shoes. 11 friends.  8 miles.  35 minute "nomination fartlek."

Coach declared the order (alphabetical) and we each got a turn turn leading a segment of the fartlek.  Some of us got two turns so as to fill the entire 35 minutes.  The rule was that no one could surpass the "leader" of each segment and each interval was the leader's choice of between 30 seconds to 2.5 minutes.  The next person up got to choose the recovery time between 30 seconds to 60 seconds.  I enjoyed the couple of miles of MP or faster paced running, fun time laughing and chatting with friends, and of course the frozen face.

After my run I came home, showered, ate breakfast, got the kids dressed and ready, and went to FAC for a fabulous session with Colleen in the weight room.  New exercises=new sore muscles=good.