minor adjustments....

We cut our planned 22-23 miler back to 20 this morning.  See reasons below.  LOL!

I've had a couple of crazy work weeks & really that's no excuse but it is what it is...
I've not got the best sleep this week either, especially last night...
Joe had a lymph node removed (hello, minor surgery & he still ran 20 miles this morning) from his arm on Monday (cat scratch fever)...
I'm tired.  Period.  Adjustment over the next 3 weeks...GET MORE SLEEP!

At mile 17, I wanted to lay down in the road & go to sleep. I still think of what David C. told me a while back about having the same feeling.  I dreaded this run & pre-NOLA I never dreaded any of the long runs. (That is the difference between a slow build up vs. what we're doing.  LOL!)  Poor Joe started having issues with his arm after mile 15 this morning but continued to run...faster than me, of course.
But...the positives that I'm taking away from it....it was fantastic weather.  I ran in shorts, sports bra, & a thin singlet.  I only got cold when I took a few walk breaks during the last 2 miles.  It stayed overcast, we ran mostly flat...we never made it to the pedistrian bridge during the last 5 miles of our run like we had planned but that's ok.  We got a little lost towards the back of Shelby Park.  LOL! 
By mile 16 when I took my 4th gu, I wanted to puke.  The thought of taking in that 4th gu just made me sick but I did it.  I'm using plain gus now because the other flavored ones were really starting to get to me.  I'm going to make an adjustment in my gu intake for the next two long-ish runs & for the marathon.  I'm starting to think that every 5 miles would be better for me, especially if I take one before we run. 

I keep reminding myself during this abbreviated training cycle that I ran my fastest marathon ever 5 weeks ago. I only really allowed 1 week for recovery then we started ramping up again. Yes, I have been doing things to speed recovery along & I've done very well I might add but it's time to rest. If a sub 3:55 is to be had by little ole me in Carmel, IN then great but if the moons just don't line up just right for me, I'll live.

20 miles - pace 9:02 - 3:00:47
Mile 1- 9:06 (is my sock twisted...I stopped a second to check)
Mile 2- 8:44
Mile 3- 9:00
Mile 4- 8:59
Mile 5- 9:04 (back at the car for fuel & I'm stretching my calfs out)
Mile 6- 8:50
Mile 7- 8:57
Mile 8- 9:01
Mile 9- 9:20 (back at car for fuel & I'm stretching again)
Mile 10- 8:46
Mile 11- 8:51
Mile 12- 9:00
Mile 13- 8:46
Mile 14- 8:54
Mile 15- 8:55
Mile 16- 9:03
Mile 17- 9:05
Mile 18- 9:15 (I tell Joe we are cutting it short & he tells me his arm has been hurting for 3 miles.)
Mile 19- 9:39 (walk breaks)
Mile 20- 9:33 (more walk breaks)

Next week...15 miles....we will start our taper.....

Planning ahead....

Yesterday, I did a turtle slow 3.23 miles with the South Siders run club (in our 'hood), did P90X ab ripper, my IT Band/Glute exercises, & rode a bike at the gym for 20 minutes.  Altogether a productive Thursday post workout.  LOL! 
The past two weeks have been super busy & tiring to say the least.  Running sure does help keep you centered & after a rare hard day at work, I sure enjoyed my Wednesday night staying out until nearly 9pm with the run club. LOL!

I made a HUGE decision today about December.....
Luckily, I've about talked my Texas sister into coming here for Christmas and/or New Years, which opens up our Dec travel budget a bit.  (We'll have our Thanksgiving in Michigan this year)

I signed Joe & myself up for the CIM in Sacramento, December 8th, Sunday.  That elevation makes my mouth water.  All I've got to say is that they better be playing some Johnny Cash at the start line!

4.6 + 4.14 = 8.74 miles......hilly & flat

Yesterday, I wanted at least 8 miles.  I should've just shot for an even 9.
When I first got home, I ran in our 'hood & hit some hills for 4.6 miles.
My garmin was doing weird things so I had to shut it off & restart it during the first 1/2 mile.
By my calculations it was around 40:11 (8:44 pace).
I then joined the run club about an  hour later for a relatively flat 4 miles but it turned into 4:14 at around 36 minutes (8:46 pace).  Joe was pacing Rachel on a 4 mile tempo run & she exceeded her goal big time, plus Preston, Jane's son, ran with us.  He & Tim pushed the last mile down. 
Overall, I'm ok with the paces...honestly, I just wanted the 8 miles on my feet in the middle of the week. 
Today, I plan to run a very slow 3 miles & I want to work on the glute/IT Band exercises.
I'll likely knock out ab ripper, too.
Friday, I truly do need to stretch everything out again...P90X Stretch may be on the agenda along with lots of good carbs.
That 22+ miler on Saturday morning in Shelby won't run itself!  ;-P

something resembling "speed work"....

Yesterday, I knocked out ab ripper & I attempted some speed work early since I was home early.  We had some strong winds & lots of flurries swirling around. I like the cold but this kind of cold just irritates me when I'm trying to do "speed work".  I only did 6 X 400's because frankly, the wind wasn't worth fighting.  I ended up with 5.52 miles at around a 9:32 pace overall.  I did an easy 2.25 miles to warm up & then took off into the wind for the first one.  It was a 2:03. LOL!  I changed directions & the 2nd was a 1:42, I believe...that's how bad the wind was in our 'hood.  My fastest one was only 1:41 & honestly that's slow for me.  I knew after the 6th one it wasn't worth doing anymore so I jogged back home & got warm.  As much as I'd like for the cold to carry over through out most of April, I'm over this type of extreme cold. 

Today, I'm hitting the stationary bike & doing my "Yoga for Runners" dvd.  I could tell in my legs when we ran long Saturday that I had skipped doing that dvd last week.  With the 22-23 miler coming up, that's not happening this week.  I'm a BIG believer in yoga, especially for runners. 

Last week, I ended up with over 43 miles & next week I should be just a tinsy bit over 40.  Then it's time to taper for the 2nd time this year. 

recovery run, new tights, a party, & VERY cold temps!

Last year March was unseasonably warm on into the first week of April here, then we had a two week break in the heat, & then it was hot for the CMM marathon the last weekend in April.

This year March has been unseasonably cold. It feels weird wearing a wool sweater & boots to work on March 25^th! I pray this is a good sign for April but I know it could go from one extreme to the other in a VERY short time. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we "ease" into Spring. All that being said I'm not looking forward to the very chilly speed work we are doing tonight. We are doing something called, "The Russian". I'm not even sure I understand it but I'm bundling up & going. This may or may not be the last week of "hard" speed work for me anyway. We are a week away from April 1^st! Wow!!

I bought some CW-X tights over the weekend that I'm going to try to use all week long. I ran just over 4.5 miles in them yesterday. Apparently, I fit into the XS size per my height & weight. I was shocked given the fact that they looked so tiny before I put them on. They perform basically the same function as if you were to have your IT Band or around the knee area taped. There are different types you can buy but the pair I bought supports the IT Band, knees, & lower back. I've only run 4.5 miles in them so the verdict is still out. I'm taking full advantage of the colder than normal temps to break in those $90 tights..... BUT I'll make a game time decision as to whether to wear them Saturday for our 22-23 miler. I did notice the last two miles of the run yesterday that they do loosen up as your body warms up. I was a bit worried about my range of motion but they will take some getting used to for longer, faster runs. As for how I feel after Saturday's hilly 19.25 miler....I feel pretty dang GREAT!   Yoga & COLD soaks sure do work wonders for recovery.

Yesterday's workout included a flat, recovery 4.57 miler at around a 9:23 pace with Tim. Scott & Lauren ran part of it with us. We very narrowly avoided the storms that rolled through. I also did all my weights at the gym, rode a bike for 30 minutes, & did yoga for an hour. The class seemed to be very "runner specific" which was nice.

Other than ab ripper & the cold ass speed work today….that may be all I do unless I head to the gym to spin my legs out.

The Nolensville Run club had a HUGE 3 year anniversary party last night.  I'd post a few pics but they're all over our facebook page.  Great food, great company, & so many great running plans were made....  I'm entertaining the idea of the California International Marathon December 8th.  Funny how I can think about running more marathons when I'm "trained" & running well.  ;-) 

Last week of March………bring it!!

19.25 miles with some hilly craptastic miles

We started out with Traci (who did 10), a new guy named Brian, Daryl, a gal named Nicole, & Jayson at 6:30am.  We hit a lot of hills on the outskirts of Crockett Park.  The park itself really isn't that hilly but once you're out of it in the 'hoods & near Ravenood High School, watch out.  They ate me alive on the later miles.  We dropped fluids at the high school & we hit that area every 5 miles or so much like last week.  Carmel has some hills but not like this so I'm A OK with the pace even though it wasn't 9 or under.  You can tell from my splits where we were hanging at the water stops & where I was climbing hills later in the run.  I am proud of this run simply because I was able to push the last two miles down & it's only been 4 weeks since the New Orleans Marathon. I don't stop my garmin on training runs.  The clock doesn't stop during a race so why should it on training runs?

19:25 miles - 2:54:36 - pace 9:04
Mile 1: 8:44
Mile 2: 8:43
Mile 3: 8:42
Mile 4: 8:32
Mile 5: 9:31 (fluid stop/major hills...dropped gloves there because I was getting warm)
Mile 6: 8:41
Mile 7: 8:54
Mile 8: 9:10 (damn hills)
Mile 9: 8:45
Mile 10: 9:13 (started really feeling the hills here)
Mile 11: 10:25 (fluid stop, said good bye to Traci & put some more gloves on...hands got cold for some odd reason)
Mile 12: 9:10 (taking in gu & trying to find a groove again)
Mile 13: 9:05
Mile 14: 8:51
Mile 15: 9:46 (fluid stop...tried to stretch a bit)
Mile 16: 9:12
Mile 17: 9:13 (damn hills)
Mile 18: 8:44
Mile 19: 8:55
       .25: 8:44

Next weekend....22 or 23 miles & I'm thinking Shelby Park with a run over the Pedestrian bridge towards the end....

5.25 flat tempo run

I did P90X ab ripper & stretched a good bit before joining the group.
Goal: push at least one of the miles below an 8 minute pace. I got two! ;-)

5.25 flat miles - 8:03 pace - 42:14

Mile 1: 8:13
Mile 2: 7:43
Mile 3: 7:43
Mile 4: 8:00
Mile 5: 8:35
     .25: 8:04

my "tired legs run"

5 miles - 9:11 pace - 45:51 rolling hills in the village

I felt really good the first 2.5 but then the sudden urge to lay down in the road & go to sleep hit me.  LOL!  Someone recently told me that is how they feel during long runs sometimes if they don't get enough caffeine.  I avoided the big hills in the 'hood but did some of the smaller rollers. Heck, you can't avoid them.  I spent 30 minutes stretching everything out since Tuesdays are usually my yoga days anyway.

9:33, 8:47, 8:34, 9:14, & 9:46....uphill to the front door as always....
I love TN but the hills here just suck the life out of me sometimes.

Tomorrow evening with the club I'll either do a flat tempo or I'll do hills again but they sure won't be "tempo" pace. 
Thank goodness, I'm running some recovery miles with Kim on Thursday & doing yoga only on friday.  Saturday's 19 miles should be interesting!

1 mile time trial....6:59!

After running 16.5 miles yesterday, I was VERY happy with my one mile time trial tonight.  I jogged over 3 miles warming up then we did some strides.
I ended up with 5.28 miles (47:34) for the evening at a 9:00 minute pace with a 6:59 mile in the middle of it.  My most recent timed mile was probably a 7:23 from a tempo run back in January so I'm pretty dang happy about it.  I wonder what I could have pushed it down to had our long run been on Saturday.  ;-)

16.5 miles with hills

16.5 miles - 2:25:10 - 8:48 pace (3 weeks after the NOLA marathon!)

I knew our planned 8:50-9:00 min pace would go out the door since most of the fast guys from NRC showed up.  LOL! I just went with it & made up time on the down hills. The TFL never bothered me & my new inserts rocked! I still HATE the taste of gu & gatorade together. (Powerade tastes better to me & thank God that's what's on the Carmel course unless they change it.)  If Jake & Crissy show up in Carmel & if the weather allows me to run the full there, we've got to get a plan in place to drop water with electrolytes in it.  After 14-15 miles of that mix, my tummy felt bad. 
It was 50 degrees when we started & I was shivering, of course, but the humidity seemed to be nonexistent. I never felt too warm but then again, I ran in a sports bra, shorts, & my CEPs.  I ran without the ankle wrap for the first time in a long time & so far my ankle feels great.  I took a 15 minute ice bath & I'm heading to the gym to spin out my legs for a bit.  Hopefully, Erin's yoga class will help open up the hips & maybe....just maybe the "one mile time trial" will happen tomorrow.  Jayson & I dropped to the ground to stretch our TFL & IT Bands when we were done.  Overall, I feel pretty fantastic!

Mile 1: 8:48
Mile 2: 8:48
Mile 3: 8:56 (water stop where I jogged while everyone filled up at Ravenwood)
Mile 4: 8:48
Mile 5: 8:45
Mile 6: 8:38 (some down hill)
Mile 7: 8:47
Mile 8: 8:45
Mile 9: 9:18 (water stop at Ravenwood & I'm circling while everyone fills up)
Mile 10: 8:32
Mile 11: 8:39
Mile 12: 8:34
Mile 13: 8:55
Mile 14: 8:52
Mile 15: 8:46
Mile 16: 9:00 (craptastic gu & gatorade mix was getting to me)
         .5:  8:41

Next week.......19 miles.........

Friday's tempo run

5.1 miles mostly flat....70+ degrees, yuck! 8:19 pace

8:36
8:00
8:01
8:12
8:41 (tummy issues)
And the final .1 was at an 8:40

I cooled down & did my weights at the gym after I ran since we are running our 16 sunday morning. Spun my legs out on a bike & hit the glute exercises.
I feel really good after doing P90x stretch today but I'm trying out new inserts tomorrow.
Hoping it goes well.

Middle of March...planning ahead...

Yesterday afternoon, I was supposed to run 4 slow miles in my 'hood. I was going to run it with Stephanie S. but apparently a dog bite turned into something that put that little gal in the hospital. Ugh, will have to remind myself to check on her this weekend....

I knocked out ab ripper & some some IT Band/Glute exercises before the run.
I jogged an 11 minute mile to the gym...the first .25 is downhill from our front door then it's pretty much uphill the rest of the .75 to get to the front door of "Anytime Fitness". 
If your legs are tired from hills and/or speedwork then that one mile is pure drudgery in my opinion.  I met the "South Side" run club a few doors down from the gym & did the 3 mile "lollipop" route only I cut it short by heading home.  It started to rain, the wind picked up a bit, & I was in shorts.  Thank God, I had worn my NRC jacket & Jamie had given me my "South Side Runner" shirt.
I ended up with 3.77 miles at around a 9:26 pace even with that first mile at an 11 minute pace. So much for trying to keep it slow....ugh!  I hate to admit it but this runner who loves the cold is tired of being cold.  I've had to layer up way more than I used to just to stay warm.  Apparently, losing over 10% of your body fat will do that to you.  Now whether this makes me a faster runner in the warmer months, who knows but it sure can't hurt.  Yep, I'm a little tired of being cold.

I'm getting up at the butt crack of dawn to get my weights in & some time on the bike at the gym tomorrow before we spend most of the day at the soccer fields.  Our 16 miler is Sunday at 7:00am at the Concord Y.  We have Jayson, Matt, & possibly Traci joining us.  The next couple of weeks will be the sure sign of whether or not I'm able to pull off running Carmel under 3:55.  Am I doubting myself, probably, but I know I don't want to injure myself.
If for some reason I have to go to the half, we're looking at the Great Lakes Bay Marathon.  I get excited everytime I think of running somewhere where I've never been...  

Hills & no more google reader... ;-(

I ran with what was called the 9 minute group last night on the "5 mile hilly" route that I've not done since January. (We all know that a 9 minute pace is ALWAYS faster than 9 minutes per NRC math. Ha!)

I ended up with 5.25 miles at an 8:42 pace per Joe's garmin. Mine was doing funky stuff & only recorded my time, not pace, or calories. So, I had to guess at my calorie burn for myfitnesspal. I'm way under a 100 calories per mile these days per my height/weight profile in my garmin but I can usually guess pretty close.

My tensor muscle fired up just a tinsy bit but apparently icing/stretching it calms it right back down, thank goodness. I felt like I stuggled on the hills but I kept reminding myself that I'm just not that hill trained right now so I'm happy with the overall pace. Now that we have a little more daylight when we start our Wed night runs, I'm going to keep hills on those nights. I'm wondering how I'll feel after 16 miles on Sunday since I'd love to do the Monday "1 mile time trial" with the speed work group. I've not done a mile time trial in FOREVER.  Ummm, we shall see... I guess I could always do it later in the week but it's WAY more fun with the group.  

Google Reader is shutting down July 1^st. I am going to switch to something else before then because I love using it to read other runner's blogs, sports pages, world news, real estate pages, etc…

I need to clean out my "reader" anyway.  

Testing my limits….

5 months ago I ran 26.2 miles in Chicago

17 days ago I ran 26.2 miles in New Orleans
10 days ago I ran 9.4 miles of hills that I had avoided for nearly 2 months in Nolensville
3 days ago I ran 13.1 (not necessarily racing it but….I ran it two weeks after the 26.2)
Last night I did 10 X 400s for the first time (I had never done more than 6 at a time)

What am I trying to do? Probably injure myself. LOL!

I'm testing my limits.
My thinking here & yes I am thinking….is that I already have the base mileage.
Yes, I'm technically in "recovery" but truthfully when does "recovery" end?
I ran my fastest half marathon time exactly 1 month after running Chicago last fall.
I, obviously, was "recovered" or that wouldn't have happened.
Everyone is SO different with "recovery".
I know a guy who ran 10 miles yesterday morning & then did speed work last night! If I heard him correctly his fastest 400 was 1:15!

Long story short, I'm not going to use "recovery" as an excuse not to ramp up & do some speed work.

I am recovered. Last night I managed 10 X 400s with the fastest being 1:43 & the slowest being 1:53.
My last one was 1:51 so at least it wasn't the slowest. (No, we didn't do a ladder like Joe & I have done in the past. That would have probably killed me.)
I had not attempted speed work since Martin Luther King Day at the Ravenwood track. That was JANUARY! Yikes!

I actually feel pretty good today. ;-)

Today I'm stretching this "mess" out with the very long "Yoga for Runners" dvd & P90X ab ripper.
Tomorrow, I'm running 5 miles worth of hills in Nolensville. TFL muscle, kiss it!
By this Sunday, I'll be back up to 36 miles three weeks after New Orleans.
If I injure myself, then so be it. If I survive then I'll know I'm stronger because of it.
It really is time for me to test my limits.

Sunday stuff

I got up early & did P90X ab ripper & XStretch.  I felt great when I woke up but felt even better after that.  I also did weights at the gym & rode a bike for 35 minutes while chit chatting with my MI cousin, Patti. Miss her!
Later in the afternoon, we ran 3.5 miles at around a 9:30 pace right before we did Erin's yoga class.
Tomorrow night I'm attempting the NRC speedwork.  Hope I can "hang" with them. I think they're doing 10 X 400s. I've never done more than 8 at one time. YIKES!

I was chosen "runner of the month" by our run club.  ;-)  I "heart" them!

http://nolensvillerunningclub.com/

My "mental" PR...

As I said in an earlier post, I took Miranda K's 1/2 marathon bib & gave her my 5k bib.  Turns out that overnight, Scott & Travis had two more bibs that weren't being used so Joe took one & joined me.  I told Joe I just wanted to run how I felt & not worry about pace so much.  Well, I felt like running low 8's the first 6 or so miles & then I felt like running low 9's the rest of the race!  I'm not even going to bother posting the splits! LOL!  It was just fun being out there seeing everyone I know in the running community & my friend, Paul S. (from Manchester).  Totally enjoyed the morning.

My unofficial Tom King 1/2 was a 1:56:30 - 8:52 pace.  I'm pretty dang proud I held on for that pace 2 weeks post New Orleans Marathon!  If you had told me even 6 months ago that I would have even considered running a 1/2 marathon 2 weeks after my fastest marathon ever, I would have told you, "Hell, no!"  LOL!

I'm calling this "training" run my "mental toughness" run.  ;-)

and the ramp up begins....again

Last night I ran with the South Siders run club that meets at the front of our 'hood.

It was their 1 year anniversary. I've run with them off & on before but never on a regular basis. I really need to make this day my easy run so I may start joining them more often. I ran with Kim D. at 5:30 first. We did the "lollipop loop" 3.19 miles at around a 10:24 pace. Then at 6:30, we ran the same loop again but finished on a different hill. I ran mostly with Stephanie S. 3.31 miles at a 10:39 pace. My next easy run will be Sunday & I'll likely do around 5 or 6 miles in our 'hood. I had originally thought I would do 13 on Sunday but that's been moved to tomorrow. Miranda K. decided she wasn't ready for the Tom King ½ & really wanted to run the 5k. So, we're switching bibs & not wearing timing devices. I've never done this before but, I need 13 miles this weekend & why not run a supported course that I've already paid for anyway. I've got to fit weights & yoga into my weekend, too.

So, here's to ramping up again for marathon 12!

5 miles "Tempo"....maybe?

After we got going last night, I decided to just go with it.
To hell with holding back, I feel way too good not to knock the dust off my legs in a "tempo" run.  By the way, it's hard to do them when the street lights aren't that great. 
I ended up with 5.01 miles at an 8:22 pace.
8:51, 8:13, 8:06, 8:23, 8:40
(the first & last miles had the little inclines in them going out & back to the school)

Obviously, this isn't as fast as the ones I was doing in January but that's ok. I keep reminding myself it's been less than two weeks since Nola & running in the dark is not easy. Next week, we'll have some daylight. Whooo Hoo! 

Yoga, how do I love thee...

I can count the ways....

I now "officially" have zero soreness in my body from New Orleans.  This means that all the little "niggles" are gone in basically 10 days.  I have a "Yoga for Runners" dvd, which makes me a little crazy because it's around 75 minutes long.  I feel amazing once I'm done with it, though!  The hip opener exercises are pretty tough even when you haven't recently run a marathon. 
I've decided I'm going to do another run with the group tonight & I'm going to see just how far I can push the final miles down.  I'm not calling it a tempo run because I'm not running all the miles "comfortably hard".  I'm going to ease into it.  This should give me an idea of what to expect Saturday morning in the 5k.
As I've said before on here, I have kept P90X ab ripper in my training. I've done it three times since getting back from New Orleans. Trust me, it's not easy to do the very first week after a marathon but this week, I rocked it.  I am adding extra reps to it these days. Tony would be proud of me. ;-P

Progression run, Strengthening, & the long haul...

I ran a fairly easy progression run of 4 miles yesterday with only two tiny hills in it. Overall pace was 8:55 so I was happy with that.  I hope to run a hard tempo run next week & see some miles with 7's on the front end like I did in January but we'll see.  I also did some IT Band/Glute exercises & spun my legs out on the bike for 30 minutes at the gym.

Mi 1-9:36 (two little hills/inclines)
Mi 2-8:51
Mi 3-8:43
Mi 4-8:27

I'm taking this training one day/one week at a time.  I'm cautiously optimistic about the marathon in Carmel.  We have six more weekends left to get long runs in & I've got a schedule that I hope we can do.  This coming weekend I'm doing the Tom King 5k & calling it "speedwork".  I don't believe I'll come anywhere close to beating my 5k PR time (23:40) from December's Jingle Bell. LOL!
Sunday, we're doing 13 miles most likely in Crockett Park. If that goes well, I'll do 16 the next weekend, then 18 the next, then 22 the last weekend of March. Then we'll taper down again the first 2 weeks of April. (Apr 20th is the 26.2) Crazy, probably, but we'll see what happens & if my body doesn't respond well, I'll back down to the 1/2 half in Carmel.  So far there's no reason not to try again in the full. 

a caged animal...

I've felt like a caged animal since about Wednesday.  I managed to get in a lot of weights yesterday, time on the bike, & the elliptical.  I couldn't wait to run this morning.  I stretched a little & knocked out ab ripper before we left.  It ended up just being Joe & myself on the hills.  We did a route very similar to what most of the group did yesterday.  The planned 6-8 hilly miles turned into 9.4 miles of hills.  I could tell it had definitely been 5-6 weeks since I had done any hills at all.  I fueled just like I have been doing for the last 6-8 months.  Heck, I even ate pasta last night at the Old Spaghetti Factory. 

9.4 miles - 9:00 pace - 1:24:35

We started at Mama's Javas & proceeded fairly flat for about 3 miles as you can tell from my pace.  LOL!  Then we hit Bluff Road.....it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...  The later hills felt worse than Bluff Road, but that's just my tired, non-hill trained legs letting me know they ran a marathon 7 days ago!

Mile 1-8:38
Mile 2-8:37
Mile 3-8:43
Mile 4-8:44 (Bluff, Fluff...)
Mile 5-9:01 (another hill)
Mile 6-9:26 (yet another hill)
Mile 7-9:44 (slow crawl up a hill)
Mile 8-8:45 (downhill headng back on Sunset)
Mile 9-9:06 (headed back to MJ's)
Mile .4-9:36 (little uphill)

We saw "Pink" last night at Bridgestone arena.  She was amazing & the woman has NO FEAR of heights.  She flew around in that place like Peter Pan.  She had a baby last year & I remember her on the "Ellen" show talking about all the training she was doing trying to get ready for this show.  Now I know exactly what she was doing.  Her abs were fabulous & her leg strength....WOW, is all I can say.  It made me glad I've kept P90X ab ripper in my training plan.  ;-)

This afternoon I'm doing some glute strengthening exercises at the gym & I'm doing P90X Stretch.  Megan B. enlightened me on what she's been doing to get her hips into shape at breakfast yesterday.  Time to give mine the attention they need.

Recovery....

I can honestly say the part of me that hurt the most on Sun, Mon, Tues, & possibly early Wed, was my quads.  The hills ate them up.  My TFL never hurt during the race & it's not hurt this week at all.  I do feel some tightness in the left IT Band but that is honestly it.  Heck, it was a little tight this time last week BEFORE the marathon.

I've never felt this good less than a week after a marathon...ever!  ;-) 
Makes me feel very hopeful that recovery will be super speedy.

This week I've had two one hour massages.  ;-) 
I've soaked in a COLD tub of water every single day, sometimes twice a day, spent some time on the bike at the gym, done some weights, & did 2.1 VERY slow miles on a treadmill.  I did do ab ripper yesterday.  I am ITCHING to run again but I'm exercising restraint & holding back until Sunday.  I'm running probably 8 miles with Jayson.  If that goes well, next week's long run will be 13.  I'm taking it week by week over the next couple of weeks.  If I don't feel strong enough to hit it HARD in Carmel, I'll just do the half but if this week is any indication of my recovery, I will be ready on April 21st.  I'm also giving myself permission to back out of the full marathon if Carmel's weather turns out too warm for me.  If we are lucky to have last years weather then I'll give it a go, of course.

I'm excited about Number 12!