I need some tips.

Ok, so I skipped today's run because the muscles (I think) right above my right knee and right below my left knee are sore. Not sore where I want to cry cause it hurts, the the sore where I think to my self, "Self, is it a great idea to not run today or are you gonna hurt yourself if you do run?"

What do you guys think. Do you think it's an injury? I'm not 100% sure it is. Do you think I'm not getting enough calcium? I'm thinking it could be a possibility. Am I not stretching or cooling down/warming up enough after runs? Maybe.

I need to know what you guys do to keep the achy knees away. What are your tips?

Negative Splits + Next Weeks Schedule

Boy are my thighs sore! There not as sore as I would think they would be after running 10 miles, but they're pretty achy when I go up and down the stairs. I don't think it's really sunk in yet that I ran 10 miles. I don't have a feeling like I just accomplished this unbelievable distance. Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe its better for me not to think that, but rather think of it as nothing so I won't freak out when I get further up in the distances, ya know?

I guess I never knew what negative splits really were. I thought it was when you ran every mile faster than the last, but nope. Go here to read about what a negative split really is.

Yesterday I DID run a negative split! Thanks Adam for pointing it out! I ran the second half almost 6 minutes faster than the first! I think that's one thing I'm good at with running. I do good at keeping a consistent pace and not wearing myself out the first few miles. I may be slow sometimes, but I'm consistent.

So, this weeks runs...
Monday: 4
Tuesday: 3
Wednesday: 7.5
Thursday: 4
Friday: 4
Saturday: Wild Goose Chase 10k! 1 mile warm up, 1 mile cool down or double day. Total miles 8
Sunday: Off

My goal this week is to get my runs in early and go to bed early. I'm feeling so much better now that I've been going to bed before 10 every night. Sleep really makes a difference. I also need to lay off the salt, I can really feel myself getting bloated from all the pizza and junk I've been eating. I need more lean meats with fruits and veggies. I gotta eat right!

Saturday's Jason's birthday and my race is 2.5 hours away in the middle of no where Utah. But, it'll be fun we're going to make a fun day out of it. I am hoping to make this my fastest 10k! I'd love for it to be under an hour. If I take my other runs easy this week and get the sleep and food I need I totally think I can do it. This course is pretty flat, I'm not too worried about that. Let's hope the weather stays as nice as it has been cause that would make it that much easier.

What's a fartlek?

Fartleks can be fun, but they can also be a pain. Fartlek is Swedish for "speed play". Here's a link telling you all about it. When I first started my training and Adam had me doing them I would run from light pole to light pole, but now I run for time or distance.

Today's run was a 4 mile run with fartleks. My fartleks consisted of me running 1 minute as fast as I could and then recovering at a slower pace for 2 minutes. I did it 5 times in the middle of my route. So, I did 1 mile warm up at a comfortable pace, my fartleks 5 times, and then finishing with 1.5 miles at a comfortable pace.

Well, I did everything as planned, until the last .43 miles. I turned the corner by the school parking lot and saw that Caleb's school bus was sitting in front of the house. I knew this would happen, Jason was upstairs stuck in bed cause his back went out this morning, and his momma was downstairs and had no idea the bus was on it's way. So, I sprinted to catch the bus before he took Caleb to our emergency contact. I got there and the bus driver (such a nice guy!) said it was no big deal, he was just about to go knock on the door. I got Caleb inside and went back out to finish the last .07 miles of my run. I did my 4 miles in 42 minutes!

When I went in and told Jason all about it he laughed and said that he was sure a year ago I wouldn't have been able to run that fast to catch the bus even if I wanted to. SOOO true! Today is a good day. I feel good, a little sore, but good. :)


How many of you could only get through reading the word fartlek once before laughing? LOL I thought I'd add it in there a couple times for you guys. I saw a shirt online that said "Who fartleked?" Hahaha!