Work will win when wishy washy wishing won't

Tom and I went out in the nice sunshine for a 5 miler.  I love that 5 miles is feeling like not a big deal to do.  The hardest part is getting the gear on and getting out the door!  Today I was overdressed with the sun coming down hard on us.  No complaining here though!  :o)  We came across one other runner which happened to be my running buddy, Beth.  We haven't been running together over the holidays.   She said this was her first time out during the break.  She said she felt good though.  I think she is still planning on doing Painter's.  If she does, then I will be running it slow with her.  However, Tom and I don't think she is ready for a half.  We are afraid she is going to injure herself.  But she is very determined to do it.  I would like to have her put in a few more months and do a different half.  We have actually talked about doing our own  "NordLee Half Marathon" right here in Spanish Fork.  NordLee is a combination of our last names.  Tom would be a great race director and have water stops, finish line and medals for us.  I think it sounds kind of fun.  In fact, we would come in first and second overall!  (I would even be glad to take second on that).    I'll have to talk to her and see what she thinks.  I don't want to discourage her, but I sure don't want her pushing it when she isn't ready.  A half marathon is not like a marathon, but I believe it is still long enough that you should  really be ready for it!  Sorry, that was rambling.
 

My blogs are getting a little boring.  Same old, same old....  But I guess that is good because I am being consistent.  I did take Rui with me today.  I think his little legs like 3 miles more than 5.  I was afraid I was going to be carrying him home the last mile when he got hackin'!  However, he perked up a bit and made it home ok.  He started out ahead of me but ended up dragging behind.  

Over all time = 51:17

Ave. Pace = 10:16

10:25

10:20

10:05

10:16

10:09

Tomorrow I'm going to have to do an early morning run to get my miles in.   Oooohhh...no sunshine...I hope I can do it!  Luckily Tom doesn't mind doing early mornings so he will be there to make sure I get'r'done!   

Didn't get any miles in yesterday or today.  I've had the January blues a little harder than I ever have before.  The two days I have been the worst are the two days I haven't been able to force myself out the door.  Correlation?....Possibly.   I am feeling a little better tonight.  I plan to get a long run in tomorrow.  I hope the weather cooperates.   It's hard because I don't have a treadmill or a gym pass or a job with a gym, so my runs are outside no matter what.  You may want to offer Tom a little sympathy since he is having to deal with me dealing with the blues. 
 

So I told you I needed to get a 10 miler in today.  I also told you I needed the weather to cooperate.  Well, one of those things happened and one didn't.  The weather did not cooperate.  But I did get the 10 miles in.  Luckily Tom took me into his work gym and we were able to use the treadmills and watch a movie.  It worked out quite well.  We couldn't go in until 6:00 P.M.   because of other commitments, but it made for a great date night. We watched "That Thing You Do" with Tom Hank and Liv Tyler.  That is one of our favorite shows.  If you haven't seen it, you might want to try it out sometime.  As far as the winter blues go, I am a new woman today.  I feel much better!

Have you ever had the dream where you got to work and realized you forgot your pants?  Well, that is what happened to Tom today.  (OK, so it was just his running pants).  So since I was taking them into him I ran 5 miles with him in Provo.  It was a great run even though there were a few blocks we could have used some snowshoes on.  We both had our own Garmin on so we may differ slightly on numbers, but here's what I have.  Overall time=48:34  Overall pace=9:43

9:35

9:49

9:42

9:37

9:49

Hey Michelle and Lybi, It looks like Beth has decided it is best for her to hold off for awhile on a half marathon.  I'd still like to try to keep up with you two at Painter's if that is OK. 
 

Last week when we had a few days of sunshine and warm temps I decided to freak out and get the blues and couldn't get myself out the door for a run.  Today the temp was 26 with winds that felt like 14, (Yahoo weather), and I got dressed and out the door with no problem at all.  What's up with that?  The biting wind and snow drifts pushing past Beth and I didn't win today!  Beth and I had a fun time planning our NordLee 1/2 marathon.  She was planning on doing Painter's with me but it isn't going to work out for her.  So we are planning our own 1/2 for a month or two down the road. 

I'm starting to get excited about Painter's!  I think my goals for the race will be...

2:10=Bronze

2:05=Silver

2:00=Gold

I'm not quite sure if that is too high of a goal or not for where I am at, but I think it might be realistic. 

Wo!  I feel good! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na!  (Think James Brown, he can sing it much better than I can write it!)  This morning the weather here looked mighty intimidating!  There were 3-4 inches of snow on the roads and more kept falling.  When I called Beth she wasn't interested in getting out.  I decided to write my weekly email to my missionary son and see what things looked like after that.  When I was done I looked out the window and the snow had stopped and I could see the main road east of us had been plowed.   So I called Beth back to see if she would like to rethink things.  She was excited to join me.  We went 4 miles together.  It started getting crazy again.  When I dropped her off I decided I might as well keep going and get my long run in since I have no idea what the rest of the week will be like.  It got quite miserable during some parts of the run.  I had several "you're crazy" looks and even one guy who pulled up on his four wheeler next to me to ask me if I was aware that it is winter.  I didn't care about time today, mostly just wanted to get the distance in.  I did check my garmin when I got home and found that after dropping Beth off my times were between 10:34 and 10:52.  I felt mostly comfortable at that pace except for the weather and road conditions sometimes.  I know tomorrow is going to be hard for me to find a time to get a run in.  The only time I have is dark, cold, early hours.  If the weather is miserable, I'm staying in bed.  Now with the long run in today, maybe if that happens I won't have to feel so guilty.

I did a little survey today while I played "dodge puddle" and "dodge car".  I found that most men drivers will scoot over, but hardly ever slow down for me.  Most women drivers slow down, but don't give me much room.  Some of both do both, (slow down and scoot over), blessings in heaven for them.  Some of both do neither, (they will have to deal with their just reward).  My favorites are probably the farmer guys.  Usually a little older, always very courteous and with a big smile and wave!  I also had two policemen who passed.  They were both very courteous drivers, but only one gave a smile and a wave. 

	10	9.3	9.15	9.09
1	10	9.3	9.15	9.09
2	20	19	18.3	18.18
3	30	28.3	27.45	27.27
4	40	38	37	36.36
5	50	47.3	46.15	45.45
6	60	57	55.3	54.54
7	70	66.3	64.45	64.03
8	80	76	74	73.12
9	90	85.3	83.15	82;21
10	100	95	92.3	91.3
11	110	104.3	101.45	100.39
12	120	114	111	109.48
13	130	123.3	120.15	118.57
13.1	131	124.27	121.11	119.39

I'm not usually a numbers kind of gal, but I wanted to see the times for different paces that I might be running Painter's in. I thought I'd share it here for any of you who are in the same range. My run is coming this afternoon, so I'll add that info then.

Nice afternoon run.  I know some of you don't approve of the .15 added onto the miles.  But I am one who puts whatever it says on the Garmin.  If the extra .1 doesn't matter then I guess it's OK if I stop at 13 miles next week when I run Painter's Half.  I'll just tell the officials that the last .1 doesn't really matter. 

Ave. Pace for today was 9:48.  I hope that next week with a drop in altitude, a gain in temperature, a drop in amount of clothing having to be worn, a gain in bloggie and race support, and a gain in race day magic make the stars line up for a really great race.  I hope I don't disappoint myself.  Actually, anything better than 2:17 will be a PR for me.  So in reality I will be happy with anything under that.  However, the closer it gets to 2 hours the happier I will be!

Joined Tom and the SF group this morning.  Nice morning, no wind, lots of fog that made things kind of fun.  Kept up with the tail end of the crew for the first half.  Fell a little behind around 4 miles in.  Tom stuck with me until I turned off to head home.  They were all getting at least 10.  I really only wanted 5, but ended up with 6.75.  Nice to finally meet Josie, and get reacquainted with Amber and Ali.  (I just got to say hi to them while we were all standing still....no way I was going to be keeping up with them.)  It was nice to get all done with the run and have the whole day ahead of me.  Early mornings might be in my future a little more, especially when the weather turns the other direction here in Utah County.

Easy five at the beginning of taper week.  Looking forward to the weekend.  Time with the hubby and kids in a sunny location sounds fabulous!  Running 13.1 miles with bloggie friends sounds like lots of fun too!  Have a great day everyone!

With the taper I was suppose to do 4 today.  Over shot it a bit.  Mostly nice out, a little wind to join me in mile 3.  Average pace 9:40.  The stars are going to have to align just right for me to reach my goals on Saturday.  I hope I haven't set myself up for disappointment.  

Easy, chilly three miler with a cold nose, cold fingers and Beth.  I don't understand tapers very well.  It almost seems counter productive to run less.  I guess it will be nice to have fresh legs on Saturday, but I hope they remember how to go longer and faster.

I guess that is the last run before the race on Saturday.  

My first race report! I am happy to say I beat my previous PR by 12 minutes! I was sad that I ended up running alone. I was looking forward to running with at least Michelle and Lybi, and possibly Christi. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I ended up alone. I didn't even think to bring my mp3 player along. It was fun to see what I could do with my very own willpower though. I don't remember what was going through my mind with every mile and every turn. I do know that on every hill I was saying, "too many up hills! wasn't prepared for this!" I didn't ever end up talking to anyone along the way except for one older man who wasn't liking the up hills either. He chatted with me for about 30 seconds and then kindly bid me farewell and good luck as he left me in his dust.

One highlight of the run is when the ones in the lead had to backtrack past us and I was lucky enough to slap a high five to the hubby! It made me kind of the celebrity in that little pack for a minute when they all found out he was my husband and he was rippin' up the course! (check out his race report if you haven't already!) At mile 10 Tom gave me a quick call on the cell phone and said he had done it in 1:23...he would have been happy with 1:27! Way to go Tom! Anyway, I wasn't real chatty on the phone at the moment and quickly said goodbye.

Around mile 12 I started feeling a little pooped out. It was there that I saw Sasha coming toward me with someone else. I yelled out to him that I was probably the last FBR dude or dudette on the course. Maybe not the best thing to do...Sasha quickly turned around and was my personal coach the rest of the way. He made me do the low five thing. I told him I would do it once but that was all. When I did it I didn't know if I was going to make it beyond that. I told him, "I can't!" He said, "I can't is a swear word." So I told him, "OK, then I just swore!" He continued with the Bingo, ta ta ta ta ta... ! Tom showed up shortly after to offer his help too. He has had Sasha helping him through a tough race before also, so he knew how I was feeling. Anyway, Tom and Sasha had to fade away just before the finish line and I came through the very quiet crowd at the finish line. raised my arms and told them to "give me something!" So they all started cheering for me and giving my the high fives!

There was a crowd of us coming in at that time and they messed up the lines a bit. Some that came in about 2 or 3 minutes behind me got in front of me in the number take off chute. There were plenty of people that wanted to cause a big ruckus, but I don't think we had much in us at that point to do much about it. So my official time is 2:05:43, but because I was in the middle of the pack when we started and the ruckus at the end I am saying 2:05 even. I feel very good about my effort and am thankful to everyone who has helped me make it this far, especially Tom and even Sasha!

I miss St. George!  Snow is lovely and all.  And we do need the moisture!  But I loved my weekend in the sun!  Tom and I and our kids had such a great weekend!  We have to give a big thanks to our 17 year old son who really helped out with the kids while we were off running races and having a quick nap a little later!  He took them to breakfast and the Fiesta Fun Center while we did our thing!  

Today the snow is falling all around us again!  Luckily, because of the holiday, Tom called me and invited me into the work gym since not many were in at work today.  I did 5 miles on the treadmill and it was not a dreadmill at all!  I thoroughly enjoyed every step of it!  Legs are feeling good after the race and a day of rest.  It's fun to set our eyes on the next goal!  I can see it's important to keep the goals coming or you could really have some kind of a let down after all the hype and excitement of race day.  

After the run today I had to go get new tires on the van.  Yesterday on our way home from St. George we realized how bad they are.  I'm glad they brought us home safely!  

And now...off to shovel the driveway!  (Did I mention I miss St. George?) 

Six miles on Kuhni Road with Tom.  

I just read pthomas' report for today and have to agree with him about the snow and ice.  It was nice to be down in St. George and have clear roads to run on.  The temps are bearable with the right gear, but snow and ice all around is getting a bit old! 

A song that has been on my mind lately is "Open Up Your Heart and let the Sunshine in."  Have any of you heard of that song?  It's an old children's song that came back to my mind the other day and is staying with me.  Tom had never heard of it before.  It's a cute song with some good words to get you through hard times. (and no sun times!)  It kind of gets stuck in your mind and gives you something to think about in case you get tired of singing B-I-N-G-O while you are running.
 

A fun 6 mile fog run this morning with Tom.  Lots to do today.  Nice to get the run out of the way.

Two mornings in a row I've had to do the early morning run to make sure it would not get pushed aside by other things.  Tom went out first for 5 or 6 and then came back to pick me up for 5.  No fog today, wind instead.  I think the fog is funner to run in, but then I don't have asthma or anything.   Happy Friday everyone!

Tom and I went to SLC yesterday and didn't come home till today! We had tickets to the Jazz game so we decided to make an overnighter out of it. The kids were great to cooperate! Seventeen year olds can be so helpful!

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Murray which is right next to the Jordan River Trail. So we slept in a bit and then headed out. The sun was having a hard time getting over the top of Mt. Olympus for awhile, but once it appeared we were able to enjoy sunshine on our shoulders the whole way! What a feeling! Even though the sun felt great, the run seemed a little difficult. I felt quite sluggish. Tom doubled up and back every so often so he could get 10 miles to my 8.

It was fun to see many different kinds of birds along the trail. We noticed 2 hawks, a cute family of quail, ducks and geese galore and many unknown varieties. It was fun to see their footprints in the snow and hear the different sounds of each of them. The geese make it sound like there is a traffic jam with all of their honking. Some bird sounded like he was laughing at us, (like the laugh of the Penquin in Batman). We just laughed back at him...laughing is heart healthy, we all need to do much more of it in our lives!

A great run and a great little get away! And 8 miles when I was really just planning on 5 for today.

Yesterday I felt my time would be better spent at the temple than running in the crazy wind and then the crazy blizzard that followed.  I'm glad that is what I did.

Today I trudged a 6 miler on the icy roads.  I'm tired of being a WOW.  I hope I can handle the rest of the winter.

The fitness center at Tom's work is doing their annual fitness tests this week.  The owner of the gym had told Tom I could go in and have some of the things done.  So I went in today for a couple of the tests.  The nice owner let me join Tom on the treadmill since it was before the busy time of the day.  So I got 6 miles in.  I ranged in pace from 10:30 to 8:35.  I actually held 8:35 for about 3/4 of a mile and then again later for about a quarter of a mile.  It was hard and not fun, but I did it.  I don't know if I could do that on the road or not.  Sometimes it seems easier on the treadmill. 

It's good I don't log sleep time.  Last night wasn't the best night of zzzzzs.  I may have to take a little nap after I get out of the shower.  And I soooo need to go grocery shopping!  That is one of those things that I wish would miraculously get done for me each week! 

Happy almost end of January everyone!!!

Tom and I celebrated the LAST day of January this morning by getting up and getting out for the run.  The stars and moon looked very pretty in the still, clear morning.  Turned out to be a great morning for a run.  We ran into a couple other SF, (non blogging), runners.  One joined in with us for our last 2 1/2 miles.

Thanks to everyone on the encouragement and nice comments. 

Note to Tom:  How can I get bugged at my biggest cheerleader?  Thanks for your excitement in helping me, but some things don't have to get blogged!  :)   *blush*