Michelle's Running Blog

Today's 4 mile run was "fast".  I have been running slower lately but today's run was at a normal pre-pregnancy pace.  I really enjoy being home from running at 7:00 and having my kids sleep in until somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00.  I don't like the early alarm but the quite alone time is refreshing.

I felt a bit tired running today, but was happy to find out at the end of the run that we ran the same AP as yesterday.  It was nice to have the weather a bit warmer and best of all, it was light when we started running and not just at the end!

Today I have a crazy  busy day.  I have to make five pans of rice to bake this morning meet at our church to set up for a dinner/activity tonight and then after set up I have to prepare 24 fleece blankets because I just found out yesterday afternoon that the person who was supposed to be in charge of blankets for our service project is not going to do it, so it falls on me.  Then there is parent teacher conference and piano lessons not to mention laundry and feeding my children.  After that is all done I still have to attend the activity tonight.  I am going to be tired tonight!

I am really bad at posting recently when I do a P90X workout. It is because I finish the workout at 9:30-!0:00 instead of 7:00.  By then the day is too crazy to write a blog post.  I did do the P90X 60 minute stretch video.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this video.  I hardly ever do it because I feel like it isn't really a workout, because it is not.  But stretching for and hour feels so good.  It was a nice way to relax after the previous busy day.

I ran alone today and felt great at the end of my run so I added on a little distance.  I estimated it was around .4 but that is a complete guess.  I really enjoyed my run today.  Some of the good things about today's run are; I woke up feeling rested one minute before the alarm went off, it was already light outside when I started my run, I listened to music, the sun came up with glare shining off of windows and cars, it was warm, running alone allowed me to go at my own pace, I added a little distance, it provided great rejuvenation.  

Today I did the P90X kenpo workout which is a lot like Taebo.  It was a good workout but a lot of kid interruptions.  I think one of the great things about running is that you are not home and kids can't bother you.  I like that better then the constant, "mom, mom, mom" while doing P90X at home.

Today was a great run.  I have been feeling better about running this week.  It was just my neighbor Michelle and I today which seemed like a small group for a Saturday morning run.  We ran on the Hiline Canal trail.  There was a lot less snow then last week but a ton of large and deep truck tracks.  I had to be careful where I ran so I wouldn't twist an ankle.  The run went by quickly and painlessly and our AP was 9:40.  I call that success.  

Today's run was a bit of a struggle.  For the first two miles I  kept getting rocks in my shoe because my shoes weren't tied tight enough.  My feet also started to hurt a little from the shoe being too loose.  So, at mile 2 I stopped and fixed the shoe problem.  After I fixed my shoes, my feet felt better but I never got back into the groove before the end of the run.  I am just glad I did the run and that it is over now.  It was great running weather this morning, I am sad that next week we will be back in the dark for morning running.

Today's run was better then yesterdays.  The AP was 9:40 and I wasn't too tired.  It was nice to wake up a few minutes before my alarm and have light coming in the window and birds singing. 

My six year old son was awake when I came home at 7:00, which is a surprise because he usually sleeps until 8:00 or 8:30.  Poor guy, he has had double ear infections that won't go away.  He is on a new antibiotic he just started yesterday and if this doesn't take care of it he will need a shot next week.  

Today I did the P90X core synergistics video.  It was a pretty pathetic attempt at a workout.  I have a new friend that I started doing the P90X workouts with and when our children are together they either get along great or really fight and have a hard time.  Today they had a hard time and it seemed like every 3-4 minutes I had to take care of kid issues.  Consequently, not the best workout.  I guess it is to be expected when two moms try to exercise with 6 kids around. 

I went to bed a bit late last night and didn't sleep really well so I was not looking forward to my run when the alarm went off.  Despite the bad night, it was a great run today!  I felt good and was able to run at a pretty good pace.  I don't know exactly but I think the AP was about 9:30. 

The last mile was 9:38 which is really good for the last mile because at the start is a decent size hill, and the second half is all slightly uphill.  It is a tiring mile and my time is usually slower.  It was nice to be able to finish strong.

P90X cardio workout.  The kids were more cooperative today.

Today was a really hard run for me.  I completely tanked.  Yesterday I started feeling sick with a cough and sore throat.  Last night I tossed and turned all night and had a lot of congestion this morning.  Mixing pregnancy breathing issues with sickness makes running really difficult.  I contemplated stopping after 4 then 5 but I am glad I finished the 6.  

I am running the Moab 1/2 next Saturday so I really hope the sickness goes away quickly and that this was just a fluke bad day.  I am a bit nervous about the race next week.

Today is the first time in a long time that I haven't done my scheduled run.  My husband had to fly to Nebraska this morning and leave at 5:00 a.m.  Consequently, no run for me.  It was nice to sleep in with daylight savings taking away an hour.  After I had a nice long sleep, I rode the bike for 45 minutes.  It was a good workout and probably a good thing I was forced to not run today so that I could get some extra rest and get over my sickness.  My husband, Ben, will be back tonight so I will back to running tomorrow morning.  Hopefully with lots of energy!

Back to running in the dark.  I ran alone this morning, my neighbor's husband is out of town.  I really enjoy when I can be alone, set my own pace, listen to music, and just zone out a bit.  I ran with a little rock in my shoe for 2 miles hoping it would fall into a spot that didn't bother me.  It just kept getting worse and more annoying so I finally stopped and got it out, I felt much better after that.  

I tried to think of pounding the pavement, and not bouncing too vertically thanks to Carolyn.  Also, a few months ago while on a run with Carolyn she told me to imagine a tree or object up ahead was putting out a magnetic force and drawing you in.  I use this a lot at the end of my run when I am going up a hill.  It helps me to pull myself towards the top.  Thanks for all the tips Carolyn!

Today was the Canyonlands half marathon and it was the BEST race ever!  I had a great time and really enjoyed it.

This past week I have had a few little pregnancy issues with some spotting so I was a bit concerned about whether I should run the race or not.  I took three days off of running to try and let my body rest but I really didn't want to miss the race.  Things were going better the last two days so I decided to take it really easy and run the race but not race it.  I ran at a decent pace for the first 6 miles and then let my running friend, Michelle, go ahead without me because I didn't want to continue pushing the pace.  I decided I would just enjoy the run and be glad that I could run 13 miles at 18 weeks pregnant.  I zoned out with music, let a lot of people pass me, and didn't care that my time was going to be really slow. 

I felt great throughout the race and kept smiling because I felt SO good and wasn't putting forth that much effort.  The best part came when I crossed the finish line and got a PR even when I was trying to take it easy.  I really enjoyed the run and had fun which is what I shooting for the PR is just an added bonus.

I don't have my offiicial time yet, so I will add that later.  The sleep time between 4 and 8 hours means I tossed and turned all night with a little anxiety and debating whether I should wear leggings or go without.  I went without and that was the right choice.  I am not sure how much I actually slept but I think I will sleep good tonight!

I feel like I haven't blogged in awhile.  I have been a bit out of it, but I think I am back to a consistent schedule now.  My foot is hurting me so I hope that doesn't become an issue.

The 4 miles today felt sluggish and a bit slow.  I think it comes from running the 1/2 on Saturday and then coming back to hills and higher altitude.  I really like racing at lower altitude, it feels so much easier to be able to actually breath.

Today I did some hard core cross training.  1.5 hours of snow shoveling.  The snow was wet and heavy.  I am really tired now. 

Last night we were coming home from the store during the storm and there were about 6 cars stuck on a hill by our house.  They couldn't make it up the hill because of the slickness of the snow.  I felt bad for them but if we were to stop, we would also get stuck.  It is no wonder I get tired running up a hill that cars get stuck on in the snow.

I went to the gym and worked out on the elliptical today.  My foot is still hurting so I thought it would be best to do something with less impact. 

I did some research and I think what I have is called turf toe.  It is most common with football and soccer players but the description sounds exactly like what I am experiencing.  It is basically a stretched ligament from bending the toe back too far, or a really bad stubbed toe.  I have been icing and taping a bit and I can tell it is feeling a bit better.  Hopefully it heals quickly.  I have no idea what happened, I can't remember any specific time of hurting my toe or foot.  Mysterious injuries are really annoying!  

I rode the bike for 45 minutes today and then did 40 push-ups after.  It was a nice workout, just enough to feel done but not exhausted.

Today I ran to Carolyn's house that is a little over a mile away.  I didn't run with my neighbor who has a garmin so I don't know the exact mileage.  When I got to Carolyn's house I ran 4 miles with her.(she was running 20).  Then I ran back home.  

It was a fine run but I felt like I was running uphill the entire time.  I know I wasn't, but it sure felt like it.  It was really nice to only do 6 and close to home because I was still able to enjoy a lazy Saturday morning with my family and cook a nice breakfast instead of getting home later like I usually do.

Today was a nice slow run.  I woke up three minutes before my alarm went off so that made it easier to get up.  I prefer waking up on my own rather then being wakened by buzzing.  My run was pretty uneventful, a good run not much else to say.

I saw Carolyn twice on my run this morning and my friend Ali once.  It was kind of fun to pass people I know.  I passed Carolyn when she had about 4 miles left and then also when she had  2.5 miles. 

I also learned a lesson this morning.  I have to run with some belly support.  My pregnant belly isn't that big yet but when I run it hurts when I don't have something to give it a little extra support.  The two pants I usually wear have thicker, tighter waist bands that give me support.  Today I ran in new pants that are low waist and pretty loose.  Not such a good idea.  I seriously contemplated walking home through a short cut at mile 1 but thought I better keep trying to see if the pain would go away.  After a mile of debating run/walk, finish/quit, I realized it was pretty warm out and I was wearing a jacket so I took my jacket off and tied it tightly around my waist.  It helped a ton.  The rest of the run was bearable pain.

I bought a lightweight support band last week but it was dirty this morning.  I need to be more faithful at washing it or just wear it dirty.

This morning my husband had to leave for work at 6:30 so I just got 2 miles in but then I came home and rode the bike for 30 minutes as well.  I usually don't run on Wednesdays but I think I want to add a Wednesday run in and then only run 6 miles on Saturday.  Then I will still get at least 20 miles in each week but won't have really long hard runs.  The only bad part is getting up early Mon-Thur, I am not good at early mornings.