Days Thirty-two and Thirty-Three

Miles: 10
Time: 1:29:00
Pace: 8:54
Splits: 8:36, 8:39, 8:18, 8:51, 9:33, 8:42, 8:57, 9:08, 9:19, 8:52

FIRST: The 9:33 split is about 30 seconds slow because my Garmin screen went off training mode and I had to stop to get it back to normal and discovered that the time was running the whole time. Oops. That permanently upset my pace for the rest of the run (but not by much, looking at the later splits).

Okay, so it was cold out. Around 15 or so degrees, about 6-8 mph breeze. My mom dropped my dad and I off at this park at the top of the canyon only to find that the trail was closed. So my dad and I ran around 3.5 miles down the side of a highway to this park where we could get onto a cleared section of the trail. Then we found that the trail still had snow on it (but just a little bit) so we ran on that for about a mile until the parts that had basically no snow (during which time my Garmin got all funky).

Around 5 miles, my knee started to get tight and act up. By around 5.5 miles, it was a lost cause. By about mile 7.5-8, the miles just seemed to go on forever. I seriously had to try really, really hard to keep myself from getting upset and crying. Like, my miles weren't THAT bad for the last 3 miles, but it just hurt and was really frustrating. But I made it! 10 whole miles! :D

I really, really want to get my knee checked out. Just so I can figure out what to do with it so I'm not running half+ of my runs in pain anymore.


Miles: 4
Time: 35:08
Pace: 8:46
Splits: to be posted

Getting used to the altitude... only to go home Monday. Woooooo! It was really cold, about 8-10 degrees, but without the bitter Iowa wind which made it far more tolerable. It was mostly flat, which made it easier. Knee didn't bug me too much, so that is good. My breathing was horrible though because it was so cold and the whole second mile was a gradual incline. It got much better on the way back to the car.

Day Thirty-One

Miles: 4
Time: to be posted
Pace: 9:17
Splits: to be posted

It is official, I hate higher altitudes. I can't breathe enough for running! :( I feel like I have bronchitis all over again. Ick.

Run today was slow. There was a lot of ice covered in a thin layer of snow, so my dad and I were running really cautiously. I almost fell about 12 times, and my dad hardly ever almost fell but did for real fall with about .40 left of the run.

I have no idea where/how we are going to run 10 miles on Sunday. My lungs just suck with the cold, dry, high altitude air. But we'll just get it done... very slowly. :/

My knee bothered me, as usual. But I have been wrapping it and that makes it feel better afterwards. So that's good at least.

Day Thirty

Miles: 4
Time: to be posted
Pace: 9:05
Splits: to be posted

So we skiied yesterday, but aren't going today because it is supposed to SUPERSNOW out here and we don't want to ski in the mess. But skiing was not kind to me yesterday. The boots were really tight on my shins/calves because my calves are SO HUGE in their muscle-ness. My shins hurt a lot, and I stopped skiing around 2:45 while my dad and brothers skiied til, like, 4:30. I woke up this morning and my knees, shins and butt were all sore.

But my dad and I went out and ran 4 miles before the SUPERSNOW anyway. The first .75 of a mile (and the last) were all smoggy b/c the air here is all stagnant. It smelled like exhaust and it was gross. But then we got above it going up the canyon and it was better. But I felt like I did when I had bronchitis over the summer. It was hard to breathe and I felt like I was working hard, but I was still going really slow (especially b/c the first two miles were basically all uphill).

My left knee gave me problems by about 2.7 miles and my shins were sore for the first 2 miles and change, especially the right one. That one got the most squished in my ski boots. My hips were pretty sore too from skiing. Resting the rest of today + tomorrow = good idea.

Also: I have tried to Google what might be wrong with my knee, but I can't find anything. Like, it hurts below my knee and above it, but also when it gets bad every 10-20 steps will shoot pain across the front of my knee cap. I can't find anything online that matches those symptoms. I am going to the doctor when I get back home, but meh. I wish the internet could be more helpful. :/