Cheris

I was so glad the rain stopped--at least to let us run for a little while! Met Cheryl, Jody, Julie, Eric, Aaron, and his sister-in-law, and we started at my house and ran the Riverton 10K route, plus a little extra. It was perfect weather, although my hands are still a little cold, and not quite working right to be typing!

My calves are feeling better, all the icing and massage must be doing something!

Met the running grou--all 18 of them today!--at Parkway Palisades for some FUN hills. My calves are still bugging me, and I could totally feel the muscles move around in unnatural ways on the mother of all hills, but on the less steep hills there was no problem. I am going to call Dr. Toronto today, just to make sure this doesn't turn into something chronic.

8 easy, 9-minute-something miles, heartrate around 130 the entire time.

Saw Lisa on her bike, I hope she can come back soon!

We did our three 5Ks this morning. Peggy, Michelle, Julie and Angela and I met at 5:00 a.m. to get a few extra miles in, then we met everyone at 5:30 and did a warm-up 5K. Michelle and I had planned to run the next one at 8.5 minute pace, then the last one at 8 minute pace. HOWEVER, we ran the third one in 22:15. SO, we figured we would do our last one at marathon pace (8 minute miles), since we would be tired and it would be more of a marathon simulation. So we did start out slow--8:23 for the first mile, then we started to feel warmed up again and did the next one in 7:15, then the last mile at 6:54. Woo hoo! I love to see the number 6 on my watch! As a minute number!

It is is just awesome to feel good, and have energy for the last mile of a 12-mile day. I definitely think putting in more miles, like Steve recommended, is the answer.

10 minute average, very nice and easy! I have to rest up for the running group's half marathon tomorrow!

Awesome day! We had mentioned doing a half-marathon, and Cheryl totally came up with a route that was awesome! Also, Jared Nelson (Michelle's husband), was an awesome water break organizer. That made the race so fun and like an official race--with a table complete with cups of water and everything! There were 18 of us that ran it!

I tried to do it as a progressive tempo, and started out a little slower (and it was uphill anyway)! It was fun to run with Eric, Cheryl and Jody. We started out about 8:50ish, then about 8 minute miles, which was totally what I had planned on. At about mile 9 I decided to pick it up a little, and averaged around 7:40 for the last four miles.

Also, everyone who reads this should totally check out Michelle Margett's blog. It is called Razmataz (maybe 2 ZZ's?). And totally give her a hard time for her in-depth coverage of all her runs. She is doing a 5K today, competing with her son. It will be interesting to see who wins--he is way fast! It will be close!

Update: Josh won the 5K!!!! Michelle was a close second, coming in at 20:50!!!!!! Woo hooo!!!! What a total, awesome PR! Is there a little competition in this family, or what?

Met with Steve today, along with Michelle and Eric. It was great to talk to Steve and get some of our never-ending questions answered. After warming up we did one minute of 5K pace, followed by 2 minutes of marathon pace. We repeated this 7 times. It totally made our marathon pace seem like a relaxed pace!

So my calves are doing much, much better. NOW, the issue is a bruise on the top of my foot that I got who knows where. But it hurts to run! I am trying to baby it, and hopefully it will get better soon.

Medium-effort day today. We met the running group, and ran around the high school. We averaged around marathon pace, and Michelle and I did a couple of fast pick-ups on the track.

Wow! I tried to go running this morning, and I lasted 1 minute and 11 seconds. My foot hurt so much I just turned around and called through all the podiatrists in the yellow pages until I found someone who could see me. I saw Dr. Kenney, and what a huge relief! I was starting to think I had a stress fracture. However, he reassured me (without even looking at my X-ray), that no, I didn't have a stress fracture, I just had WAY messed up bone structure. I have always had total problems with my feet, I have seen THREE different podiatrists before this guy, and no answers. However, he totally explained the weird tumor-like bone growths on my heel, and pointed out new bone growths on top of my feet that I hadn't even noticed. Those are actually the probem--they had started to encapsulate my nerves, which was causing all the pain.

So he taped my feet to see how my knees/hips would adjust to "proper" feet whatever, and next week he will fit me for orthotics that will help me land better (I actually pronate AND supanate). And he said it will actually make me FASTER!!! So I totally love the man. He even told me that my feet land so weird that that is the reason I have callouses over the tips of my toes--because I am trying to get traction, and my feet never can lock into place to push off effectively.

So, after I got home from seeing him and running som errands, I finally went running at about 2:30. I got to watch the lightning, and I actually felt great. I did have to cut some of the tape off (Dr. Kenney gave me approval to do this), and then the tape wasn't quite so constrictive.

Yay! I hope this helps me get over all my feet issues!

I met Michelle, Peggy and Mike for a warm-up of about 2.5 miles. When everyone else came, we started off on a marathon pace run up 9800 S. and back. The first four uphill miles made me tired, but we did pretty well keeping on pace. Then the four miles downhill felt a little better. We started out slow with the group, so our first mile was slow, but overall we averaged 8:08. Then I did a little to cool down.

And Michelle wore her blue skirt, that I love! And we had fun talking to Lynette and Amy--everyone has such interesting stories, it's cool to get to know some of them!

AND MY FEET FELT SO MUCH BETTER! Even with the tape, and that I forgot to put a new padding thing in my shoes (my Dr. put one in my other shoes, I forgot that I rotate and would need another!). So I am stoked about getting my feet better once and for all! Until whatever my next injury will be!

Lunch was really fun today for Peggy's birthday--it's always awesome to get together with everyone when we don't have to run!

What a fun day--only four miles, since I don't want to do too many miles this week. And with a 22 tomorrow, it means short today! I went and got some New Balance shoes with roller bars, like my podiatrist recommended. It felt great to run in them, I had been worried that they would be heavier, etc. Afterward my knee hurt, but that could be because my feet are still taped up. I need to leave the tape on through my long run tomorrow, because today I tried to cut off a little more where he said I could, and it took the skin with it! Ouch!

Michelle, Jody and I did our usual loop, about 8:50 pace. It actually felt great! My foot started hurting a little in the middle, and by the end it was done, but at least I made it, and when I get my inserts this week it should correct the foot issue. I just worry about starting to wear inserts so close to the marathon!

My legs felt a little tired today, probably from our 22 miles on Saturday. So we just took it easy today, about 8:56 minute pace.

Met the speed group today, and did some relay repeats around the SJ cemetary and up and down the hill nearby. Michelle Nelson and I were on a team--very fun! I pushed myself pretty hard, but not totally all out (it just feels too close to the marathon!). It felt really good!

Very slow miles! I was a little stiff from the speed work yesterday. AND, bad news--I went in to report to my podiatrist how my feet felt with the tape he put on them. However, he is dead. I went to sign in at my appointment, and his obituary was taped to the desk. For a minute I thought it was a really bad joke. But his partner, Dr. Davis saw me, and they fitted me for my orthotics. However, I won't be able to use them until after the marathon ( it takes 10 days for them to come in, and several weeks to adjust to them). Dr. Davis said he could tape me up before the marathon, and I'm wondering if that would be a good thing, or just a good way to get more blisters...

Met with the running group and did 4 5K's! I wasn't feeling well, I think I had some sort of stomach bug. I hadn't eaten much Wednesday, and the 5K's were hard! I tried to run the middle two at 8 minute miles, but didn't. The closest one was 8:20 average. However, after resting all day Thursday, I was finally able to start eating again, and felt much better.

First of all, Michelle Margetts started out as a totally sane, normal person and through the course of this summer has turned into a running maniac. We wanted to do 5 easy miles this morning, so she picked the 5 miles that has THE most hills (and steep ones, too!) to run. I wouldn't exactly call that an easy run. However, we didn't push it, and it felt like we were going really slow, but our overall average pace was 9:10. I worry, too, that we haven't done enough hills (since I have been avoiding them since Hobble Creek and my calves have been tight), but I think after today we are covered.

We did the half-marathon loop that Cheryl came up with a couple of weeks ago--up to Glenmoor (4 miles of gradual incline) then back to 40th West past the new temple (definite hill), on to 118th South and back up 2700 W. to the high school. Michelle and Jody and I did the first 8 miles at a more moderate pace, then tried for marathon pace the last 5 miles of the course. Then we did a one-mile cool down. It was really fun, but totally hard! Michelle was reassuring me that last year her last runs before the marathon were hard, too. I'm hoping it will get better, I just think my body is tired, and it felt hard!

Creepy morning! Totally pitch-black, and with the wind there were weird sounds everywhere. I stopped to stretch my tight calves at mile one, and saw a runner approaching with a flashing red light. I hoped it was someone that was actually a runner, and nice, and it ended up being Julie! So we ran the last four miles together--WAY less creepy when there is someone to run with!

Michelle and I met the speed group, but decided to do our own thing. Michelle was afraid of injuring her tendons, and I was afraid of pushing myself too hard. So we ended up with nine mostly slow miles, with a couple of pick-ups thrown in for fun!

Ran with Julie today, pretty slow, easy miles!

Met with the speed group, and did a couple of 15-minute tempo runs, with slow running in between. I didn't even do the complete 15 minutes, I took it a little easier. Hope it pays off!

Ran with Jody and Julie, and did our 10 miler. We were going to do 3 miles at 9 minutes, then 3 at 8.5, then 3 at marathon pace, but my legs were so heavy, and my calves were so tight! I am starting to suspect my New Balance shoes, since yesterday I felt fine in my Sauconys.  I am worried that my legs still feel heavy, shouldn't they be starting to feel better yet, with my cutting miles? Maybe they still need the taper this next week.

Slow run, still feel tired!

Met with running group, did one mile repeat at MP. Calves felt better today, maybe because I ran slow yesterday?