Final days before Ragnar

The Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay is only a few days away. 

I guess this is as prepared as I'm gonna get!

I ran 9.5 miles on Friday night in my new Mizuno Wave Inspire 6's (last year's model = half price).

I decided to get them, even though I know it's not recommended to get new shoes right before a race, because I was still having some recurring ankle pain on my right side and my left shin was really starting to aggravate me.

So being the brave (dumb?) soul that I am, I ran 9.5 miles on my first try in them.

I got done with that run with absolutely zero pain anywhere.

Totally convinced that worn out running shoes are to blame for most of my injuries!

I ran 5 miles in them yesterday and some hill runs today and still not an ache or pain anywhere, I'm loving it!

Tomorrow I'm going to take the day off and Thursday I'll do a nice & easy 2 or 3 mile jog and then Friday morning IT'S ON!!

I feel a little guilty that this race has been shadowed by our Disneyland trip, which we'll be leaving for on Monday. My mind is totally in Mickey-land right now, but I am trying to focus on this race. I really need to get my head in the game. I'm also a little nervous because this will be my first time leaving Kyle overnight (thanks to Justin's mom and my poor sister Tiffany, who was supposed to be running the race with us, got a stress fracture, and will now be sleeping over with my kids!).

But yeah, despite my distractions and my jitters, now that the race is practically here, I'm getting pumped!!

Up the mountain

I'm not one to run with things in my hands, but I really wish I'd brought my camera along today.

Last week I got ready for my Ragnar distance run, and today was the day to get ready for my 3.2 uphill climb (they changed the course a bit because of some road damage we've had after LOADS of rain this Spring and my hill got cut by .4 mile! YES!!).

So I drove wayyy over to the East side so I could run up Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Okay, it's only about 10 minutes away, but it feels like another world.

I parked in a neighborhood just outside of the canyon and as soon as I looked in front of me, I knew why people pay big bucks to live that far East.

It was a bit overcast but the sun's rays were breaking through clouds and shining onto green mountains spotted with misty clouds nestled into nooks and crannies.

Just breathtaking.

The birds were in heaven and singing loud and clear and the river was coming down next to the road with whitewater force. 

It was runner's paradise.

I went about 4.2 miles up and straight back down.

I was aiming for 3.6 up but I missed the landmark I had chosen on mapmyrun. It got to the point where I was pretty sure I had already been 3.6 so I ran to the first landmark I could find (some fancy shmancy house) and then mapped it when I got home. And 4.2 uphill was just fine, I feel a lot more prepared for Ragnar now.

 I was surprised that the hill really didn't seem that intimidating. I wish it had been more steep like the hill in Ragnar will be, but this was the best I could do.

There were moments where it got steep but mostly it was just a long, gradual uphill run.

Here's the breakdown: this run had a 1050 ft. elevation gain in 4.2 miles and the Ragnar hill has a 1400 ft. elevation gain in only 3.2 miles. So it's a lot more steep, but I'm hoping I can handle it. 

My ankle worries are dissolving. It is stiff and bothering me a bit, but I think with ice and ibuprofen I'll be just fine.

Alright, three weeks to go!

Going the distance

I have to admit, I wish I had trained a little harder for the Ragnar. It's in 4 weeks, so that only leaves 3 more Saturdays for long runs or hills. 

So today I got out there and ran 10 miles to make sure I was ready for my 9.6 mile leg.

Mentally, I was fine. It actually didn't feel as long as I thought it would. But around mile 7, my legs started to fatigue a bit. I took a gel but it didn't really help. My legs just aren't used to this much distance right now.  But they made it through just fine. I have no idea what my pace was. I really should be tracking it, but we lost the foot sensor to our Nike+ and I just haven't put any effort into tracking my pace since. I really hope I'm under 10 minute miles. Please, please let me be faster than that by now.

Only problem is some ankle pain. I took some ibuprofen and I'm icing it and crossing my fingers it doesn't become a problem. It started on Thursday when I tried to be all gung ho and set the treadmill to a 7.0 incline and ran 2.25 miles. DANG that was hard!! My ipod was dead, too, and honestly, it was miserable! I think I was going like a 12-13 minute pace and it was still crazy challenging! And I got the beginnings of a nice little ankle injury as a souvenir. Why do I do these things to myself? And maybe the better question is:

Why did I sign up for that crazy hill in the Ragnar?

I'm seriously getting nervous about it.

I can just see my team cheering me on as I shamefully walk up the hill.

NICE!

So yeah, the good news is I ran 10 miles, woo hoo! Furthest I've gone since having Kyle.

Bad news is I may be injured... please let the bad news go away.

Ragnar training

The Ragnar race is less than 2 months away!

It is upon us!

Now that it's almost here, I'm finally getting excited about it.

Up until now, it has just seemed like this elusive race that was never really going to happen.

I didn't sign up for the easiest of legs, so it's time to get training.

My first leg is an easy, flat 3.5 miles. Wahoo!

My second leg is relatively flat, but it will probably occur in the wee hours of the morning, and it's 9.6 miles. That one could go either way for me. Either I'll be pumped and in my groove and loving the craziness of the whole thing, or I'll be tired and slow and wondering what the heck I'm doing. Time will tell.

The third leg is (dun dun dun!) 3.6 miles STRAIGHT UP.

Look at that incline.

Yikes!

And with zero sleep!

I'm sure I won't sleep. I wish I were one of those who could fall asleep anywhere, anytime (Justin), but I'm not. It's going to be a sheer miracle if I get any at all.

Anyway, I've slowly been integrating some hill workouts into my runs, I wish I had been better about recording them here. I've also been doing some half run/half stairmill days at the gym. Anything to strengthen my butt and hamstrings because heavens knows I'm going to need it!

Today I ran 3.5 at a 8:34 pace. It was tough. I was going for 4, but the child center girl came to get me to change Kyle's diaper. I thought about asking if I could just have 4 more minutes, but didn't. :)

After changing him, I came back and did a mile at a level 5 incline at a 10:00 pace. It wasn't too bad. I wish I knew what number to put on the treadmill incline to mimic that hill I'm going to run. Probably a 10, seriously. I think for now I'll keep it at a 5, and work my way up to 3.6, then boost it to a 6, then 7, etc. Ughhh, can't wait. BUT at least I have another motivation which is: my butt. Needs some serious help for swimsuit time, so at least I'll be killing two birds with one stone.

Alright! Time to hit the ground running and get ready for Ragnar!

Into the elements

Spring is here and things are slightly warming up in Utah.

So I have ventured away from the treadmill and out into the elements.

I forgot about elements.

Elements are kind of rough.

But I kind of like rough.

My 5.5 Saturday run was like running through a wind tunnel.

I had a mile-long stretch where the wind was so strong I felt like I was running underwater.

It wasn't my preferred way to run, but I do get that sense of satisfaction knowing that I am getting prepared for wind should that happen in a race.

Running outside also brings unexpected hills.

And since I have a 4 mile steep uphill leg in the upcoming Ragnar relay, bring 'em on!

I also came across 3 dead animals in one run on Saturday- that part of outdoor running is not my favorite.

But I'm happy to be outdoors again.

I can feel summer coming and it sure feels good!

Pushing myself

This morning I knew I needed to run.

But I really didn't want to run.

We were in the middle of a snowstorm, Justin was going to play basketball at the church, Kyle is getting his first tooth so he's snotty and not feeling too great, and I was just not feeling energetic.

I told Justin I just wasn't going to go.

But Makenzie wanted to go play at the gym, and Justin gave me the wise advice to just go.

So I went.

And as usual, I was glad I did.

I was kind of thinking I would do a 10k distance, but I started out not really knowing what I was going to end up doing.

I warmed up for the first mile and by the end of that mile I was doing a 6.8 on the treadmill (I think that's an 8:49 pace). I was feeling pretty good.

I started thinking about the upcoming Ragnar race, and the 4-mile straight uphill leg I have to run, and I decided to start some uphill training.
So every other song I put it on a 2.5 incline for the duration of that song. I didn't decrease my speed (still 6.8) so it was a good challenge. By 3 or maybe 4 songs of that uphill, I was getting tired.
So all of mile 4 I just ran, same pace.
On mile five, I was recovered and decided to push myself just a little more.
I decreased my speed down to a 6.0 (10 minute mile) and put the incline on a 4.0. That's a pretty good incline. I did two songs like that- it was a challenge.
As a reward for my efforts, on the last mile I gave myself a nice -2.0 downhill. It felt great.
I ended up doing my full 6.4 miles in 58:13.
I think that's a 9:22 pace.
I really ran my guts out and it felt so good!

Catching up

I have been doing a lot of running lately, I've just been terrible about recording it here!

I wrote a few posts ago about wondering when I would ever start to feel "normal" again.

Well, it came.

Somewhere around 4 and a half months after baby, my body stopped having those "ouch, I definitely just had a baby" pains during my runs.

If I went faster or longer, though, they would come back. But the pain was barely there.

At about 5 months (which I hit 9 days ago), it pretty much stopped happening altogether.

The past few weeks, I've been running 4-5 miles pretty regularly (2-4 times a week).

I got a little ambitious and started running 4-5 miles around a 8:30-8:45 pace, just because I COULD. It has been so long since I've been able to push myself like that, it felt awesome.

And I thought surely I would start dropping the excess baby weight.

But no such luck.

I didn't watch my eating, but I figured running like a maniac and doing some intense workout classes combined with breastfeeding would do the trick.

But it didn't!

What the heck??

I wasn't losing a pound.

I talked to a friend who is an instructor at the gym.

She said I needed to do base training.

Run slower.

Keep my heart rate low.

Not again!! 

Just when I thought I could go all out again, and you're telling me to slow down??

But what she said made sense.

When I run super hard and do the intense workout classes, my heart rate is in the anaerobic range. That makes you burn sugar and carbs, but it doesn't teach your body to burn fat.

Aerobic exercise (keeping your heart rate lower) will teach your body to start burning fat.

She said, "get on the elliptical or treadmill and go at a pace you would go at if you were starting a marathon. And go for an hour."
I read a good article about it here.

So that is what I've done the last 2 weeks.
Going off the heart rate guide on the treadmill, I have to run a TWELVE minute mile to keep myself in the aerobic/fat burn range.
It's not so bad, it just takes all sense of competition out of you. :)

I've also started cutting SOME of the carbs out of my diet (man I love carbs! I didn't realize I pretty much eat a carb-only diet until I started monitoring them).

I've lost a few pounds already.

So I'm sticking with this plan, because I still have 20 more pounds to lose.

So anyway, I'm back in the game. It feels good. I can run again. And it should feel a whole lot better when I'm 15-20 pounds lighter!