All it takes is all you've got

8 miles in 7:12 pace

Busy Monday started at 6:15 a.m. with a quick 8 miles then home to feed kids, get Abe out the door for school, start the first of six loads of laundry, shower, eat, and get Bre to her gymnastics class by 9:15 a.m.  Ali and I went grocery shopping while Bre tumbled and twirled in gymnastics.  After that we went to the Flatiron Athletic Club where the girls played in child care while I got the tour, signed a membership, and did a short core/weights workout.  I am really pleased with the FAC.  They have a great child care facility with awesome staff who said I can even go outside for a run as long as I take my cell phone.  While there are various great options for clubs to join here in Boulder, the FAC is closest to my home, offers everything I could ever possibly want in a club (even pilates reformer classes!), and FAC is also where Coach D and Colleen are members, teach a plyos class, and where Colleen is a personal trainer.  Now I just need to get myself on Colleen's schedule so she can whoop my bum into gear.

Met my RRB group at Tom Watson Park in North Boulder this morning.  Darren led the group on his bike and Colleen came to workout too.  I talked to Colleen about personal training and she is going to set aside some time for me next week when she gets back in town from a photo shoot in NY.  I also enjoyed catching up with my friend Sarah and others in the group.

It was sunny and comfortable temperature but WINDY!  The wind was not a deathly gusting sabotage per se, more of just a constantly pushing challenger.  Living in Boulder I guess I'd better accept the fact that there will be wind some days and learn to appreciate the wind for the fresh air it blows in from the western mountains rather than cursing and resenting it. 

20 minute warm-up, stretching, strides

4X45 seconds hard with 1 min jog in between.  I was too distracted with pushing the wind to also think about pushing my lap button so I don't know my pace on these but my effort was there.

4X2 minutes steady hard with 1 minute jog in between.  These were between 5:40-5:48 pace, the slowest being the one that was up a steep hill into the wind for the last 40 seconds or so.  Fun.

4X1 minute hard with 1 minute jog.  Pace ranged from 5:00 pace (downhill with the wind at my back) to 6:08 pace (uphill with the blessed headwind).

5 minute tempo in 5:46 pace with mostly wind at my back.

10 minute cool down 

Solid effort today.  Legs felt pretty good, tired at the end though.  I'm going to see Richey for some ART on my hip and of course the ol' stubborn achilles.  I figure I may as well make visiting Richey a part of my weekly routine since he is so brilliant and helpful in keeping little aches and pains under control as opposed to me doing nothing about them and allowing them to hinder my training. 

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.