Me Vs The Wind

. . .  the wind won :(

Today: Weather started sweltering even at 78 degrees. Just so humid! Then cooled off with some cloud cover. With the cloud cover came the wind (we're expecting some weather activity today). I felt great today. No EDS pains, really, except the usual feet issues (plantar's Fasciitis and flat feet pains). Back still hurts a little from the long run, but nothing I couldn't stretch my way out of. I've successfully been without caffienne for about a week now, so I have been waking up feeling really refreshed! It's nice. but I do miss coke :( and I still have mystery abdominal pain. Now it's kind of dull and relentless, whereas before it was cramp like with occasional relief. I don't have an appendix anymore so not sure what else it could be. It's not GI.  Mystery! I need Dr. House!

Today we were going to do a tempo run with Garren setting the pace at 8 miles per hour. We got the bike trailer hooked up to the bike for the kids. Just as we were getting ready to leave Josh got sick. So we set him up on the couch with blankets, towels, a trash can and a movie. Garren helped me get a feel for what an 8 mph pace was by just running up and down the street with me so we would be in shouting distance of Josh if he needed us. And Miriam still wanted to go for a bike ride. So we just went up and down the street a few times. Turns out that pace is pretty wicked. I did okay for less than 1/4  mile. I chalked it up to needing a warm up. So I tried to run first and then have Garren catch up to me and we would start the timer and pace mid run instead of starting and then working up to 8 mph pace. So we tried that for a bit but the best I could do and keep going for any amount of time was 9 mph. Then I was at 7 mph going up hill :( Got lots of work to do. After we did that for a bit Garren took Miriam around the block a few more times in the trailer and I went to the track to do four sets of 4x400s. I was successfull at getting most of those under two minutes. The weather got worse and worse as my time at the track went on. I went from running 1:50 400s to 2:58 when I was running against the wind. Some of that, too, was likely that I was tired because I was on my last set. But I'm pretty sure the last sset did nearly nothing for improvement.

Total work out time 2:50:00. I have to work out AT LEAST three hours a day to reach my goals. This is going to be tough. Pretty much I am replacing my work life with this. But at least I get to do this with my family. After Miriam and Garren stopped riding bikes they came to the track with me. Miriam, Garren and di d 2 x 400s together. Miriam is FAST. Then we did a few 100 m runs with Miriam because she is super good at those. She's hard to keep up with. She turns her head and looks at me like, what are you doing back there? She likes swimming and gymnastics and asks me to turn on olympic swimming youtube videos all the time.

Hopefully Josh will feel up to coming out to the track with us again soon.

Update on nutrition: I've got the hang of the marathon runners diet. But I veer every once in a while when my kids want to make cakes and cookies :) I never pass up an opportunity to bake with my children. It's one of my favorite things to do with them :) But I've got the hang of it now and doing really well. It isn't really a struggle anymore. Increasing the amount of berries and high water content foods has helped enormously to make me feel hydrated without having to go to the bathroom every five miles. Lots of watermelon!

My muscles are getting to be really defined, You can see my muscle now when I am not flexing. I can just hear my Grandma Joyce saying, "That's not very ladylike, but that's none of my business. . . ." :) It's kind of fun to watch the transition and actually see results of hard work.

Tomorrow both kids are in school. I need to look at my training program and see what's on the agenda. but I think it might be a strength day.

Happy Labor Day!