Just Keep Running

What a great day! I heard about an Ironman talk that was tonight so I dragged my husband along. My friend had told me some triathalete was coming to talk about nutrition and stuff. Well, it was not just some athlete--- it my inspiration, my hero- Paula Newby Frasier. I met her when I was 15 at one of my dad's races. At that time, she was at the top of her career and ever since then I knew I wanted to be a part of the sport. It was so cool to get to hear what she had to say and I soaked it all up. It was a great motivation.

After the talk my husband dropped me off at the trail head and I ran home. I didn't know how far it was going to be but it turned out to about 7 miles. I felt great. It was right when the rain was hitting so I got to run in the rain for a while. I ran a 10k faster than I ever have and got home right at dark. I needed a good run after having a horrible time on Sat. 

After a great run last night, I decided just to swim today to give my hip and feet a break. I got to the pool and they were having swim practice and swim lessons for little kids so there was only lane open and it was in the warm pool. I decided just to do an easy half mile and call it good so I could get out of all the little kids way. I felt good. I didn't swim at all last week so my arms were burning for the first few laps but once I got warmed up it went pretty well. 

Went out for a ride this morning Meri and Kim from work and a few others. It was nice to be a group and feel safe. We just did an  easy pace around town. She tried to teach me how to ride around Washington Fields without getting lost. With my bad sense of direction I'm sure when I try it on my own I will be lost. It was a great way to start my day. 

Today I worked all day and then went to Costco and had dinner with Ryan. Not a lot of time for running. I kinda hate those days but they are kinda good at the same time. A little recovery is nice but I think I should plan it. 

Today I tried something new. My mom told me some good advice from a Boston Marathoner she got last weekend on her run. He told her not too worry about trying to run faster just try and pick up her knees a little and her stride will get bigger. He also told her when she's training with her heart rate monitor to pick a BPM (he said 170) and go whatever pace she needs to keep her BPM at that.

So today I tried those things. I knew I had one hour twenty min to run. So set out to go for a run. I kept my BPM at 170 which turned out to be a pace of about 9 min/mile. It was nice to not be thinking about how far I had gone just about my overall time and my BPM.I ended up doing 8.2 miles in 1hr20min. Not a bad day.

Just want to wish the best of luck to Mom, Dad, and Carmen in Fontana Days Half Marathon tomorrow. I wish I was there! I think this will the first year in 5 years I haven't been there for Fontana. Mom- remember to beat my time from last year. You guys are awesome!

Ran an easy 12 this morning. I tried not to push it and just worked on keeping a steady pace in preparation for the Utah Vally Marathon next weekend. I'm breaking in the new shoes and so far they are doing great. Average pace 10:05 Average BPM 162. The weather was beautiful even though I slept in until 7. 

My mom is in town so we went for a nice evening run. It was an easy 4 miles. Perfect weather and a good time to chat with my mom. 

Went for a ride this morning with Meri and Kim. Its so nice to get out and ride so early in the morning. I even kinda learned to change a tire when Meri got a flat. Its so sad to be a triathlete and not know how to change a tire!

Did a little run on the treadmill today. I was tired and wasn't feeling it. I hate those day. Sometimes I figure its better to stop than to force myself when I'm not enjoying it. I don't want to resent my workouts. Better luck tomorrow!

Swam a mile today in preparation for next week's tri. It felt really good and my laps were consistent. Didn't feel too tired. Glad I made it!

My mom brought Jillian Michael's Fitness Ultimatum for the Wii with her when she gave to visit. I gave in a try today. Only did it for 10 min before my swim. It was so much fun. I will  keep using it before she leaves next week. 

Did 25 min on Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum on the Wii. Didn't want to overdo anything with the marathon tomorrow. Just a nice little bit of exercise. I'm sure going to miss that game when my mom leaves!

Utah Valley Marathon:

I loved that race. It was very well done. The aid stations were great. Not just nasty Lemon Lime Gatorade- They had every flavor spread out through the aid station. The course was beautiful. It started down the canyon then onto Provo's trail system. Ran next to the river and waterfalls and practically in the forest. I had a really good time. My feet and hip held up until about mile 22 which was a lot better than mile 9 at the Ogden Marathon. Everyone in the town was so great and came out to cheer us on. My brother Adam came down from Salt Lake and ran the last 6 miles with me. He pushed me for the last mile when I wanted to walk so that really helped my time. I will definitely be doing that race again. I will post the officical result when they put them on the website. Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 9:49

Mile 2: 9:22

Mile 3: 9:51

Mile 4: 8:28

Mile 5: 9:50

Mile 6: 9:48

Mile 7: 9:44

Mile 8: 9:57

Mile 9: 9:55

Mile 10: 9:47

Mile 11: 9:36

Mile 12: 9:57

Mile 13: 9:52

Mile 14: 9:52

Mile 15: 9:52

Mile 16: 10:53

Mile 17: 10:06

Mile 18: 11:24

Mile 19: 10:35

Mile 20: 11:41

Mile 21: 10:34

Mile 22: 11:34

Mile 23: 11:24

Mile 24: 13:13

Mile 25: 12:58

Mile 26: 12:00

This was really fun. Kind of a small race so I'm not even sure how many people were in my division. The swim and bike were both too long so I wonder how much time I could have cut off if it were a true olympic distance. I had a great time. It was fun to do the race with my brother Adam and sister-in-law Devin. The weather was perfect and I'm glad the rain didn't start til after the race. I was prepared to give the excuse of running a marathon last week so that's why I didn't do very well but I didn't even need to use it. It was another PR for me. 

Ran 3.3 miles with my brother Adam this morning. I'm in Salt Lake all week so we will be training together. Its nice to have someone to run and ride with. Its nice because he runs faster than me so its a slower pace for him but a bit of a push for me. I am going to try and get out on a ride tonight to work off some stress from this conference. 

Good ride with Adam around Millcreek area in SLC. Saw a few snakes and a lot of other riders. 

Ran 5 miles with Adam again this morning. Great weather. Good run. Averaged about 9:15. Had to stop a few time to stretch my hip so that slowed us down a bit. Did lunges, squats, and pushups after the run. Great start to a day

Didn't get out on the bike until around 3pm and it was already over 100 out. I didn't make it the 40-50 miles I wanted. Way too hot to go that far with only one water bottle. Average pace 17mph

Rode for about an hour then swan for 35 min. Good day. Not much to say about it.