ARSHS. Early a.m. So hard to get running this morning due to how cold it was, lack of enough sleep, and recovering after vacation and a long drive up. I have been missing running and felt I need to get back into it so I pushed myself to run. It was so cold that there was still snow and ice out and on the track this time. I almost decided not to run but thought I would give it a try and see how slick it was. About half of the track was more of a crunchy/icey snow and the other half was snowy. It looked so beautiful to see the snow sparkle from the street light. I felt okay because I doubled up in layers. The only area that was cold was my ears. I had gloves my my hands. I could tell it was a tough run though and wanted to only do 2 miles but I kept myself running.

TT: 26:11                   Avg: 8:44 min.                  Max: 5:22 min.

Splits: 8:36, 8:57, 8:38 (I sprinted on the last 200 meters. I also yelled out at end of run, "Aaron, I miss you and did this run for you!" My brother used to run no matter what the weather or temp, even in the bitter snow or blasing heat) Miss you!! It felt good to just yell that full volume. I am sure no one heard me that early in the a.m.

Game Farm Park. 6:15 a.m. Ran at the park because short on time and wanted to get some things done at home. Cold but not too chilly. Wore long sleeve. Could have used gloves but was okay. Only saw worker out, a guy walking dog, and another guy walking. Most of the area very lit up with lights. Felt good and ran a faster pace. Started out a little too fast.

TT: 24:20               Avg: 8:06 min.               Max: 6:21 min

Splits: 7:57, 8:12, 8:10

Game Farm Park. Semi early a.m. Felt a little more rested this morning. Felt fairly good on run. Nothing much to note of today. Just happy I got another run in this week.

Roegner Park. 8:00 a.m. Met up with Lisa there and we ran together. She has been having some foot problems so trying out new shoes but foot still bothersome for her. She did alittle over 3 miles with me. She di well though. It was rainning on my drive over so I figured it wouldn't be that cold but my hands were bothering me the whole time. After Lisa ran her 3+ miles I should have grabbed my gloves in the car. My hands felt so cold I could barely bend them. I kept putting them on my stomach while running to warm them up. I was probably running faster so I could done sooner and warm my hands. Run was pretty good. I saw people playing disc golf and some walking. After my run, I couldn't even turn the key to get in my car. I had to wait a bit. Yikes! Happy to have accomplished my longer run!!!

Game Farm Park. Early morning. Again, it didn't feel that cold but when I was running I noticed small flakes of snow. I guess it was lightly snowing when I was running. I still felt warm enough though. I had to scrape frost of my windshields and also wear gloves but I still had a good run. It was a little darker than normal at the park, kinda scary without my headlight hat. All went well though; only saw worker there. Ran 3 regular laps again=3 miles.

Game Farm Park. Early a.m. Only person I saw was maintenance guy. Dark but some lights. Felt pretty good this morning. It was sprinkling when I started but started to rain harder as I kept running. On mile 2 it started to come down a little more steady. My legs/hips area felt a little tight. Slight pain on both sides but nothing too much. Did 3 laps but area on last loop was flooded so I did a little detour on the area near the baseball cage and ran near the street out and back.

BPA Trail. 8:00 a.m. Met up with Lisa in Federal Way. It has been a long time since we had ran at the BPA trail so Lisa suggested it. Weather was good due to no rain. We were lucky because most of the weekend it did rain. It was just cloudy but weather was fine. We ran regular route, almost to the aquatics center but not quite and turned around. Lisa wanted to just run about 3 miles. Then she took of and I did one more route all the way to aquatics center and turned around. This 2nd time was a lot harder and those hills were tough but I kept running. I counted about 6 hills maybe. 1 hill was the largests more near end of route before turn around spot. I felt fairly good, since I had gotten fairly more sleep last night. The only area was tight was the muscle right above my hamstrings, just below my butt on the L side. Just some slight pain there, odd. I did the whole run without music. I just enjoyed Gods nature.

ARSHS. Early early a.m. Weather seemed good at first but near the last mile of my run it really came down but more of a misty heavy rain. It was hard to run this morning because I was very tired and the wind was blowing hard. It was chilly. The wind and the rain did not help when I was runnning on the track. Switched direction on each mile. When I took off my jacket after about 1 mile I accidently stopped by stop watch so 1 lap or so was not accounted for on mile 1. Felt tired.

Game Farm Park. Semi early run. It felt pretty cold this morning. I wore my gloves while I ran. My R outside leg about my ankle felt a little painful when running but nothing major. Legs felt stiff this morning. Ran usual 3 loops around the park with headlite. Saw worker cleaning bathrooms and one guy walking off to the side where the cars park. Happy I increased my time each mile even though mile 2 to 3 wasn't as big, it was still an increase!

Game Farm Park. 7:30 a.m. When I woke up in it was rainning quite steadily. I wore my hat, long sleeve shirt, and pants. It took a lot to get me to get out of the warm dry car and into the pouring rain. I needed someone to run with me today to push me. I eventually got out so I could get it done with. I ran 3 loops but this time extended my route by running on the concrete wall along the river. It is basically my long route except not on the dirt trail. There were lots of puddles that i had to dodge and tip toe through but i couldn't avoid getting my shoes wet by the 2nd mile. Felt yucky to run with wet clothes but still was invigorating run. I saw some old guys walking their dogs. They were smiling as I ran by. I felt fairly good with the run. The rain just made it difficult.

Enumclaw, WA. Met at Starbucks. I rode with my church friend, Angela, from her home to Enumclaw Starbucks. We had a misunderstanding that we were suppost to meet at her friend June's house. However, it was just us 3. People meet at 7 p.m. who want to go further miles but the other group meets at 8 p.m. So we ran 4+ miles then we stopped at the Starbucks and waiting for the rest of the group to join us. We first ran around the surrouding neighborhoods in that area and on a bike trail and back. When the other girls joined us we ran out more on farm land roads and part on the bike trail. A loop basically. There were about 8 of us there. Great run but on the 8th mile my L leg started to tighten and I could tell if I ran too much further I would have some leg problems. We ran with the whole group some of the time but probably about the last 2 miles I ran with just Angela. It is neat because we were about the same speed. I even felt she pushed me a little bit. Both of us were done though and her leg kinda hurt. We were done when we could see the starbucks so we just walked the rest of the way. I felt decently good most the time. I ate some fruit and toast before the run.

ARSHS. Early a.m. No rain, cloudy, but really chilly this morning. Just cold. Wore gloves, jacket. Ran usual route, 11 laps, switching directions. I felt good this morning. Nice to get decent sleep! No pains. Not a lot of cars at the HS this morning.

Alki Beach. 5:30 p.m. I worked in West Seattle so I decided to try a new place to run that had lights. It was misty rainning but luckily not heavy. I got some salt water on my face while running and had to keep wiping off the mist. I was so upset this morning when I realized I forgot my Garmin Forerunner! I had to estimate my run. Parked near a small park and ran from there-Marine St. to Alki beach street (made a right) ran all the way to a building where you rent Kayaks, not quite to Saltys. I felt very good! I just wanted to know how far and what my pace was.

Lakeland Hills. May have been 9-10+ miles. Met up with the ladies group in Lakeland Hills this time. We met at Starbucks at 8 a.m. and went from there. We ran R on the road where the Rock Pizza is and went down a new area I have never been. We made a loop back there and then up and down a hill then past the Shopping plazza and straight across. Turned a left where the park is and went on some other streets. From there I am not sure where we went but it was nice. There were about 7 of us running. 2 dogs were running as well with our group. We ran about 5 miles and then I kept running when everyone else stopped. They said we are at 5+ miles when my gps said 4+ miles. i am have forgot to push the button when we stopped to tie a shoe. I went according to my garmin though and figured even if my watch was off I would run some extra if it was. I would rather run more than not enough. I ran on the Lake Tapps Rd from the Rock Pizza to the Texaco and back. On the way back I ran on some neighborhood streets. Then I ran L at the rock pizza and up the same Rd we went on in the beginning but just about .5 miles then turned around. Then I was back at the shopping plaza. No major problems, but my L upper hip bothers me some and my calus on my L foot. It was great to have partially sunny weather!

ARSHS. Early a.m. It was freezing this morning! I had to scrape the frost off my car windows. I wore gloves, short sleeve, long sleeve, and a light jacket. I wore it the whole time too. The track was frosty and glistened in the light. It took about 1 mile to really start to warm up some. It was hard the first 2 laps. I did my usual route. R ankle bothering me at start but went away as I kept running. There was the goal post in the middle of the track on the far side that I had to go around. Overall, felt good.

Lakeland Hills. Met at Starbucks area at 5:30 a.m. First time meeting with running group on a week day. So great to have some ladies who go running in the morning before work. There were 5 of us. Angela, Niki, Janet, Michelle, and I. We did a route that I am not sure how to say. But we ran throughout the neighborhood near the elementary school. We ran up 2 hills and in and out through the homes. It was a nice run. It helped to have others to run with when doing my semi long run for the week. I felt good, except kinda had to use the restroom. What a great way to start my birthday with a nice run in the morning and have it out of the way. I feel great now as I am eating my cheese bagel and grapes:)

Lakeland Hills. Starbucks at 5:30 a.m. It was a lot warmer than Wed. run. We all got fairly hot afterwards. I ended up with my tank top. Felt okay today but semi tired from staying up late the night before with my friend Claudia for my bday. Hard to wake up at 5 a.m. I rode with Angela up there. Ladies there: Angela, Janet, Lindsey, Niki, and Mishael. We did same route again which included 2 hills but the hills didn't seem as bad this time. It was a little harder for Niki this time though. Good run and good company.

Enumclaw Starbucks. 7 a.m. Ran with June, Niki, and Mishael for extra mileage before the regular group. We started a little late because Mishael thought we were meeting at June's house. June took us the usual route loop going towards the main St. going into Enumclaw and on some side streets back to Starbucks. On the wetland area about mile 4-5 I turned around and did that extra wetland stretch again to get a full 5+ miles in. Then when I went back towards starbucks the group met me at the light. Runners: June, Niki, Mishael, Angela, Anna, Sunny, Shannon, Janet, Lindsey. We did the same route past wetlands on bike trail back along the farm land. I started to really go at a descent speed trying to keep with Angela and Anna...they were booking it and about that point on mile 7-10 I was starting to get tired. It pushed me a lot though. Weather wasn't bad, just misty and not too cold. Great run! Got my full 10 plus some mileage in.

Auburn-Sheri Fletchers home off of Cooper's corner turn. Drove on some back Rds to get to her house. 5:15 a.m. It was VERY hard to get up this morning due to the fact I went to bed at 11:30 p.m. and got up a little before 5 p.m. Why do I do this to myself? It was neat to run with Sheri this time as one of the meeting places. It was some back rds we ran on. There was only 1 hill involved. It was just Sheri, Mishel, and me. They had lights on their hats and reflector vests. I was tired and we did a slow pace but that was fine for this morning. Nice weather, not too cold at all and clear skies. (even though very dark to see)

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. Met up with the ladies: Niki, Janet, Lindsey, and Angela. Angela and I carpooled. Very tired this morning. I would say this was one of my hardest runs because of being so tired form the week and lack of sleep. The hill really got to me and doin the last couple of miles was so hard. I definetly wouldn't have ran so far if I was running by myself. It helped to have someone so early in the morning to help push me. We did regular loop then one the end part did some different loops that made me so confused. Glad to have the run done.

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. I was going to carpool with Angela this morning but she overslept and called to say she wouldn't be able to make it. I drove up there fast and was still able to run with the group. I felt pretty good this morning. We did our usual. Left from starbucks, turned L at the first left after we cross the street and did our loop, with a couple hills, but turned R this time. Runners: Janet, Lindsay, Mishel, Niki.

June's house in Enumclaw. 7:00 a.m. Lisa drove to my house from hers and we carpooled from here. First time trying out the Sat. a.m. small group. She actually lived closer than I thought she did. We didn't go into the main town of Enumclaw but just turned L on 400th street SE. I had trouble figuring out what house it was but finally got it. We waiting in her home until Anna got there. It was just Lisa, me, June, and Anna today. It was not too cold out but wore my jacket and gloves just in case. We started out down her Road then took a L on the main Rd then headed up a Steep gradual hill. That killed Lisa and me! We couldn't keep up with the other 2 girls. It was a great work out there! And I am still sore as of right now, 6:30 p.m. We ran along some back roads past horses and cows. We had an amazing view at the top of the hill! It was so picture perfect! It wasn't rainning, weather was good, and we could see Mt. Rainier as we ran! What a early Saturday morning blessing. I ran with Lisa the whole time and had good conversation. Anna and June ran together a little ahead of us. Then when we did the loop back to June's house Lisa and I ran almost to the stop sign and back so we could get a full 7 miles in. Great run!! Great job Lisa!!!!! (even with that annoying sportsbra that was bugging you!)

ARSHS. Early early a.m. It has been awhile since I've ran here solo but kinda looking forward to a time for me to think. It seemed yucky when I woke up but it was actually just barely sprinkling. When I got to the track it was so delightful to see it all lite up and the gate open. It was goregous! All the big football lights were on. I was thinking, "Thank you, God, is this your way of saying good morning to me?" It was just inspiring to not be running in the dark. And boy was it fully lite! Everything felt different. A little tired this morning but pushed myself to run at a fast speed today. Did fine. Lane 5, 11 laps, switching directions. Again it was just so nice to have the light on the track!!! No pains.

Lakeland hills. 5:30 a.m. Confusion with whether or not there would be people running this morning. Niki had to bail due to cramps, then we thought Janet was bailing because of Niki and also Lindsey not going. Then Janet heard Mishel and I were planning to go so she wanted to still run. Mishel and I were just going to run together but heard about Janet. Mishel picked me up from the parking lot in front of our place and met at same place in Lakeland hills. It was just us 3: Janet, Mishel, and I. It was actually kind of nice just having 3 of us. It made it more intimate. Felt great this morning! Chilly due to ice on my car so wore gloves. Gorgeous morning for a run. There was a full moon earlier. We ran the longer route today.

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. Felt pretty good this morning. Slightly tired from the Japense food Nick and I had the night before at Tokyo's resturant. Food moon this morning! Ladies there: Janet, Lindsey, and Niki. I was a few min. late because I spent so much time scraping the frost off my car this morning so it was atleast 32 degrees while running. There was a little puddle of water still frozen that the dogs like to drink out of that go on our run. Regular route but turned L up hill instead of right, so it would be a little shorter route near the end. It was nice to do a little under 5 miles this morning but it was also hard because it made for an extra hill! I'm getting better at the hills though:) Felt so nice to be done! My next run will be a long run this weekend! (Sunday)

June's home in Enumclaw. 6:20 a.m. Some of us met at June's home a little before 6:30 and ran from there on the back streets that parallel 164 to Starbucks in Enumclaw. It was SO cold in the morning! I had to scrap frost off my car again so it took me a bit to get going and thought I was going to be late again. It was 21 degrees I found out. I should have worn a jacket but I hate carring too much extra stuff when doing my long run. I wore long sleeve on top of tank plus gloves. The only area I was a bit uncomfortable were my ears. I thought they were gonna fall off. It took a couple of miles to start feeling better and not so stiff. Burr!!!! Ladies there: June, Mishel, Anna, and me. It was a little under 4 miles to get to starbucks from her place. Then I found out that the other ladies met us at 7 a.m. to join in a 10 mile loop around outskirts of Enumclaw. We went way out on some farm land then cut back around, past Sue's house-Mary Kay director, then back to the starbucks. The ladies who joined our group from starbucks: Lindsay, Janet, Sunny, Shannon, and Lindsay's dog Mia. It was a PERFECT day for a run! Despite the bitter cold, the sun was shinning and it was so clear out!!!! The blue skies, sunshine, farmland, moutains, etc. made for the most goregous run!!!! I am so glad I did it! Some of the ladies pushed so we could get almost 14 miles in. I wasn't quite up to doing all that at first but ended up doing okay. Then next week I won't have to run as long! I'm so happy with the results! Keeping under 10 min was also a good goal. :) I ran mainly with Anna and Mishel after we got to starbucks. Mishel did awesome! Felt good. Just got some rubbing on the bottom of my foot and slight chaffing under arms. I did have anti chaff which does help but still get it....

Flaming Geyser. 8 a.m. This is my first run back after I had been sick with the flu/cold all week. I carpooled with Angela to Sunny's, from there to the intersection before Flaming Geyser park. Lisa met up with us there but we got a little lost with where to meet her. We drove and caught up with her at the park. She just had to drive in the park to find a bathroom. It ended up working out just fine. Angela was great on getting us all to start at the same time. Ladies there: Angela, Mishel, Niki, June, Cheri, Anna, Sunny, Lisa, me. It was a nice group of us today! Even though the weather wasn't so great.(lightly rainning) We started out at the bottom of the hill but didn't realize the how long of a hill we had to run up. I accidently didn't restart my Garmin before I ran and so it was adding to my last run a week ago. I had to estimate from the last week and add to what I had from this week. I stayed near the back with Lisa. She walked some but it worked out good for me because as we got a few miles into the run my L knee was bothering me for some reason. Almost like IT band symptoms, I hate to admit. We walked ran a lot near the end. We did a long gradual incline on the hill. It was nice when it started to level off because Lisa and I were both really tired! When we got to the Rd at top we got to turn around and the rest was downhill!. Great run though! We couldn't quite catch to Sunny, Angela, and Niki who were behind as well. We didn't mind just running slower. I am still recovering after my cold and my knee kept bothering me. We tried running on different sides of the Road. It helped some but kept coming back, but the walk breaks helped. When we were done everyone was waiting in their cars because of the yucky weather. Everyone enjoyed seeing Lisa again or meeting her for the first time! Great run despite the leg pain. The hill was hard but great trainning!

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. Excited to meet up with the ladies again after sometime it's been since Lakeland. I was very worried about my run since my last one I got IT band problems on the my L knee. However, I am stretching my legs some and strengthening them. I felt fine this morning! That gives me hope for this weekend Lincoln City 1/2! Angela and Mishel picked me up this morning and we met up with Janet and Niki. Niki had both her dogs with her. Great morning for a run; no rain but kinda cloudy which kept the temp up. Probably 40 something degrees. I didn't need my gloves or jacket. I did feel more tired then usual though, still recovering over my past cold but overall very happy with my run. We did the usual route but turned L instead of R to make a little bit shorter. Angela was very tired and run down so she quit a couple of miles earlier. I think I am ready for this weeekend!!!

BPA Trail. 6:30 p.m. It was great to finally meet up with both Lisa and Nicole! I had missed running with them both! Just like old times:) We ran from our usual start down the BPA trail but this time when we got to the end we turned L onto a business Street and past Winco, up a hill and made another L. We basically made a loop back to the Celebration Park. It was really dark on the trail and kinda spooky. It was nice to have all of us together, including Denali on the trail. We saw a woman running by herself with a big dog. We also trailed a long a running group that meets on Thur and runs on the same trail. We ran back to our start and then to get the full 5 miles we ran back down towards the soccer fields and back. Good run. Felt fine; no pain. Easy run before the race Sunday. It was pretty chilly though on the run so I wore my gloves and jacket most of the way.

Lincoln City Half Marathon and 10K. 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. The weather was perfect! We stayed at Nicole's parent's beach house the night before. We drove about 10 miles from her place to the race-Waipati (sp?) park-a little outside of Lincoln City. The weather was slightly chilly in the morning but it warmed up nicely. It was probably about 50 degree weather. It was sunny out with partial clouds. There were about 400 runners/walkers. I really didn't know what to expect with the race because I hadn't studied the course prior; it was all a surprise. Lots of Nicole's friends ran it. 10K: Nicole, Casey, Justin and his cousin, Kevin-Jordanne's bf, Jeff-Casey's bf. Half marathon: Lisa, Jordanne, me. I felt pretty good on the race but I know that i had started out too fast again. It is so hard to stop those anxious legs from going! I started fast and kept a good pace til about mile 6 and then I was tired, but I kept pushing. Whenever I would see my GPS go up to 9 min I would run faster to stay under 9 min.There were way more hills than I had expected!!! Whooooo!!! It seemed that past the 10K cut off point it just went up in elevation from there. We only saw 3 aid stations. I took water at every one. I actually was about to hit some twice because of the out and back route. The route went up on paved roads but then to a gravel road. It looked like a logging road. It felt so good to finally turn around and head back. I saw Jordanne and Lisa when I was going back the other way. I think I had passed everyone who ran atleast once. It was so fun to wave to people I knew! No IT band pain. That made me happy! Just some pain on my hip-L side slightly. Also the usual rubbing on my calus on L foot toe area and chaffing under my R underarm. Other than that it was good. I felt really tired going up the hills but was able to keep pushing myself. I would say the hardest part was going up a steep hill about a mile or so before the end. By that time you are just exhausted and it is so hard to go up a hill. I could see it a ways in the distnance. But I was able to keep running and not walk. I acutally did pass a few people going up the hill. After the hill I felt I had nothing left, but after I started to run more I got a lot of energy knowing that I only had a little under a mile left. I felt strong and finished hard! YEAH!!! Nick was there to take pictures of me and support me! Lisa's husband was there with Denali and video taping the whole thing. Good job Lisa for finishing your first half!!!!

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. When I woke up my legs didn't feel as sore as they had the last 2 days. I was going to wait a week before I started up running but I am starting to feel better. Also I am thinking ahead and how in the Phillipines I may not choose to run. I may not have the opportunity or time. It started out rainning fairly hard when I woke up but luckily it became very light when I got running with the girls. Present: Niki, Angela, Janet. We all had a great run but I could feel a lot of soreness, especially on my upper back part of my L leg below my butt. It was very had to run the 5 miles today but that is what Janet and Niki wanted to do. Angela was having some GI problems and walked after the first couple of miles and went back to the start. I pushed myself and couldn't wait to be done. I am glad of my accomplishments today though.

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. I was happy that it wasn't rainning however it was very cold. My car had some frozen water on it. This was the first time no one showed up for running. I had to run solo which wasn't as fun when you get used to running with other people. I know I got a text from Niki saying she couldn't go but I guess everyone else bailed out too. I did the usual route that I could remember and surprisingly I didn't get lost. I ran R on Evergreen and then R on Panorama then made a Left to get to the main Lakeland Hills Rd then I turned around on Evergreen and ran back to where I started to get atleast 3 miles in. I was very tired and sore today but happy I completed it. My last run for awhile. I am taking time off running in the Phillipines.

Federal Way. Met at Nicoles house for the first time for a run around her neighborhood. 5:30 p.m. It was Nicole, Jordanne, Lisa, and I. What a nice group we had! We also had Boone, Cooper, and Denali. This was my first run back into after a month of not running. It was a perfect sunny day! Blue skies with slight clouds but nice sunshine! WA had not seen the sun in a long time! I felt very tired when running and not as much energy. It was a fun run to be with the girls but I could only do 2 loops which was about 3 miles. Lisa just did one loop and she was done; she didn't feel too great. Nicole and Jordanne did 3 loops.

ARSHS. 5:15 a.m. First time back into my old running spot in forever! It felt neat to be running here again and just getting back into. I was still pretty tired and it was very cold this morning! I wore long sleeve the whole time and shouldn't have worn capri running pants. I did get hot on the top area after mile 2.5. I ran a little bit before my GPS started because it was too cold to wait for it to load! So my timing was a little off. I ended up running another lap afterwards to make sure I got my full 3 miles in. I did 12 laps total. Amazing how I got faster each time! :)

Lakeland Hills. 5:40 a.m. My first time running back up in Lakeland hills. I thought at first no one was going to show up because there was no one there at 5:30 a.m. but then Janet showed up. Niki couldn't make it. Janet and I had a good run. It was lightly sprinkling. It was both of us trying to get back into things after being sick. We ran at a slower pace which was nice. We chatted the whole time about work situations and the CE classes her and Lindsey were taking this weekend. Good run but was tired; hills were tough! felt great to run though! No pain.

Soos Creek Park (Gary Grant Park). Kent, WA. 5:45 p.m. I was planning to meet Lisa and Nicole at the park this evening but had the hardest time getting there. First of all, my phone died so I wasn't able to keep in tuch with anyone. Secondly, my GPS couldn't find the address to the park. I then looked up the park on my GPS and found it but there was a North and South end. I didn't think the park was that big. Thirdly, I put the wrong end in my GPS-South and couldn't find the entrance. I ended up pulling into someone's private road that had a steep incline and accidently scraped the bottom of my husband's car. It appears to be fine but it scared me that I wrecked something. Finally, I found the park by putting the North end in my GPS. Forth mistake was, once I had gotten there I went the wrong direction on the trail. I saw Lisa and NIcole's cars there so I knew i could catch up to them; I just hadn't realized that the trail went 2 different directions. I, of course, went the wrong way. grrrr!!! I finally ran into them though. I ran on the paved trail, across a couple of bridges and past the intersection. I turned R at a fork in the road but it ended up being a dead end. It probably went about 1/2 mile. I could see Meeker school and then I turned around took the other way up a steep hill but went into residential so I just headed back to the parking lot; hoping to run into them. I asked a couple about the trial and they told me it goes 4-5 miles the other direction. I saw the girls and Denali heading toward me after they had gone the other stretch of the trail. We ended up just doing my route again which was fine.I had to do a steep hill twice! It was nice to have someone to talk to when I saw the girls. I had my Ipod shuffle while solo though. I explained to them the mess and they were glad I was okay. Bottom line: i got a great work out in! Over 5 miles was more than I had planned but for some reason it didn't seem like that long! No pains. I just felt sluggish due to a piece of pie I had eaten about 30 min before the run. Ha! Good run ladies!

ARSHS. 5:25 a.m. Very chilly this morning! A lot of cars had snow on them from Enumclaw and some places in Federal Way. I enjoyed running on the track and looking at a bright full moon as I went. I was tired from eating a burrito late last night as I was also up late from the Spring Fair. Ran 11 laps. switching directions as usual on the mile.

Soos Creek Trail. 5:30 p.m. Kent, WA. Lisa and I met at a new spot close to where we ran last week but slightly closer to where I live. It was a gravel parking lot on the R handside. We ran up the trail so we took it to the Left and went for about 3 miles then turned around. It was goregous weather for a run! Sun shinning and nice and clear skies. There were a lot of rolling hills which made it difficult but a great work out! We had a lot of fun chatting. Denali came a long too as Lisa pushed her. I pushed her some on mile 4-5. Unfortunetly, she got fussy near the end and Lisa wanted to stop and stay with her. So the last mile I ran on because I had to get home for dinner. Great run though!

Lakeland Hills. 7:30 a.m. Finally, I met up with my running group of ladies on Sunday. It wasn't as beautiful at all as it was on Fri and Sat. It was rainning on us but not too hard. I should have worn my hat though! Ladies there: Janet, Shannon, June, Sunny, and Mishel. June picked me up wiht Sunny and Mishel on her way there. So nice to run with the ladies but I was dragging this morning! It felt so hard to do the second hill! I ran with Mishel most of the time but kept the pace with June as well. They have their big marathon coming up in exactly 1 week! It is Mishel's first marathon!! We ran the route we usually do at Lakeland but we turn right out the parking lot first and go throughout a neighborhood then we crossed the street and went into a new neighborhood. The thing different with the run was going one extra bit by the park and then behind the park back to Starbucks. We all had some coffee afterwards as well. Great run! But hoping to not hurt as much running next time!

Lakeland Hills. 5:35 a.m. Rainning a lot while I was driving to meet up with Janet. It actually was nice though for our run! We ran the usual route; on the last stretch I recognized Victoria's car on like 56th street or something like that were she is staying at the Richards for awhile. Janet and I had a nice talk and got to know each other even better. She told me about her family and relatives and I was sharing about mine. I was still pretty tired running but managed okay. We ran down the hill on the first stretch-longer loop but we didn't do the extra one near the park.

Lakeland Hills. 8 a.m. Goregous weather! High of 65 degrees, blue skies, warm enough to wear a short sleeve and carpis running. Those there: Sunny, Janet, Lindsey, Angela (only for the first couple of miles), Jan (new lady), A new russian girl, can't think of her name, Shannon, Sheri, etc.... Some of the other ladies were running Tacoma marathon. Go Mishel!! Her first! We ran the usual route throughout the neighborhood. Time went fast as I got to know the new ladies and also talked with Sheri a lot near the end. Felt good but the last stretch I was very tired to do so ended with a few of the girls after the loop around the park. Glad I got out, because I was totally thinking of slacking today! I didn't stay for starbucks after this time though.

Paradise, CA. 5:15 a.m. We started out driving up to Cypress Acres where my step grandma stays and parking. The run from there to grandpas home was about 1/4 of a mile. Then dad and I ran about 2 miles around the property. We did about 6 laps. My GPS wasn't accurate because it wasn't started the whole time. We visited with grandpa for awhile, had breakfast, and then went to say hi to Beryl. Then we ran from Cypress Acres home and that was 3.30 miles. Total mileage was about 6 miles throughout the morning. It was still a good run even though it was broken up and I wasn't sure what my dad had in mind as far as running. The weather was probably in the 60s so it was great! It was easier running from grandpas home then opposite. The only hill we had was the one on Wagstaff. We took Pentz to Wagstaff, cut across the Kmart shopping center and then down clark, to Nunneley Rd-home. I only had some slight ankle pain on R side when I was running at grandpas place but I think that was because the ground was uneven.

Paradise, CA. 8:30 a.m. Bike Trail. Dad and I were suppose to go running this morning but there was a misunderstanding between us all. We were suppose to ride up to the Fit One with mom and then run back but she was in a hurry and I got told the wrong time so dad and mom left without me. That was frustrating! I just ran from home to the bike trail. I ran through the apt area, to the bike trail up it, all the way to Billie, and slightly past it. Then I turned around. I saw a lady walking her medium sized dog and they pulled to one side as I passed them up the trail and down the trail. Weather was perfect-maybe about 70s...No pain but I felt sluggish, especially going up the trail. I would have to say the 3 miles was tough for me. 

 TT: 27:16    Avg: 9:05     Max: 6:51

 Splits: 9:12, 9:04, 8:59

Paradise, CA. Paradise HS. 6:00 a.m. Dad and I ran from our home to the PHS and ran 2 miles on the track. We both felt kind of sluggish, hence the slow time on the first mile we had. We had a good time talking though and enjoyed the time together. We ran 8 laps on the track=2miles. Running to the track from the house and back is 1 mile.

ARSHS. 5:30 a.m. Ran on track solo this morning. I felt like I really needed a run alone today so I got up and ran on the track. It was nice to be on the rubberized track versus hard surfaces I've been running on. It was a great time to think about stuff and have time for me. No pain but felt kind of slow. I am happy with my consistant times though! I ran the usual 11 laps + alittle bit more. I saw the gate was open on the opposite end so I decided to take that way back to my car however the grass was sopping wet! I got my shoes and socks soaked:( Good run though.

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. Mishel picked me up about 5:20 a.m. to head up the hill for a run. It was dark and cloudy outside but no rain! Yeah! There was a chilly gust of wind as we were running though but it felt good because it wasn't very cold outside. Ladies: Mishel, Angela, Niki, and me. It was a good run. Mishel and I ran most of the way together and then Niki was having some pain in knee and Angela is still trying to get back into running; they ran more together. Good run!

TT: 41:18            Avg: 9:29          Max: 7:47

 Splits: 9:13, 9:24, 9:25, 9:48, 9:42 

Game Farm Park. 5:30 a.m. Felt like running at game farm park because it had been quit awhile since I ran there! It was nice weather; not terribly cold at all but just slightly chilly. high today was about 65. I ran the usual 3 laps around the park but I had parked in the maintenance parking because I thought the gate was closed. I ran from the first entry parking to the park and then 3 laps so that was a little over 3 miles.

TT: 29:09 min. Avg.: 8:32 Max: 7:03

Splits: 8:35, 8:31, 8:35, 8:19

Game Farm Park. 5:20 a.m. Ran alone again due to my schedule. Sounded like no one was meeting normal time at Lakeland hills. I did enjoy the nice peaceful time running alone. Weather was fine. Ran the usual 3 laps but parked inside the park. I saw the old man with pick up truck and dog with long ears. I had seen him a lot when I used to run there.

Downtown Seattle. We ran at a little park near Yogurtland, which is near Panera Bread. Lisa, Nicole, and I carpooled from Lisa's home in Kent. 5:30 p.m. we left Kent to Seattle. We ran from our parking spot, semi near Yogurtland to the park close by. We ran maybe about 5-6 laps around the park. We first ran around the outskirts for 2-3 times near the street, then the rest of the laps we ran on the gravel trail, longest route, past the basketball hoops. It was perfect weather for a run, 60s, sun shinning! After we ran we got ourselves a nice big container of Yogurtland yogurt. mm mmm mmm What a great evening!

Game Farm Park. 5:15 a.m. Gate wasn't even open this time so parked in the extra lot before the gate. There was the most beautiful sunrise colors, pink and orange as I ran into the park! I wished I had my camera with me! Good run. Tryed to run slightly faster. 3 laps around park, includes run to the park from lot, and on way back just ran straight and opposite way into parking lot to get there faster.

Hemlock Rd. 5:15 a.m. Today I felt like just something fast so I ran from my home to Hemlock Rd, my usual route. I just added and extra run down 20th street to the right out and back to make a full 3 miles. Usually I'd be just a little bit short. My route review again is running down Hemlock, to Scenic, then past the Casino and back on the Rd to the left to meet up with Hemlock again. Then back to the Auburn Way S to my apt (that is the part I hate running along the highway is a bit scary and ackward) It was nice weather for a run even though cloudy the temp was good and I didn't need my long sleeve for too long. I didn't feel scared running this route because it is getting so light out now! I didn't see anyone walking around; just a few cars drove past me.

Hemlock Rd. 7:30 a.m. Memorial Day. Very tired this morning. Ran from my home to Hemlock Rd. then turned right on 21st that goes right past the little park. I did an out and back then did my usual route doing a loop. Went past the casino and back onto Hemlock Rd to home. Then I had to do one lap around our apt complext to get a full 3 miles in. Very hard run due to me being tired and not feeling the best. But happy I went out and did it. Weather was just cloudy; not too cold.

Hemlock Rd. 5:15 a.m. Rainning this morning but not very super heavy. Ran from my home to Hemlock Rd, turned R on 21st street then went all the way through and back to usual route. Past casino and then back home. Felt tired this morning; it was very hard to get up!

TT: 24:19    Avg: 8:49      Max: 6:10

Splits: 8:38, 8:55, 8:57

Game Farm Park. 5:30 a.m. What a beautiful morning today was!!! Not a cloud in the sky and decent temp out for early a.m. I felt pretty good running just due to the nice weather. I saw a group of 3 ladies running together. I don't normally see other people running that early. It looked like they game from Roegner area. They did 2 laps and left. I saw the old guy in the rock again with his blood hound walking. I did 3 laps, starting from the parking lot next to the park. Then I finished going back the same area I entered the park.

Game Farm Park. Early a.m. Ran my usual 3 loops. This time I was able to park inside the park; the gate was open. My goal today was to start working on some speed. I ran the 3 laps as fast as I could without killing myself and I still felt so out of breath! I was trying to get under 8 min for each mile but didn't quite happen, maybe next time.... It was a tough 3 miles where I gave it my all. I see i have gotten out of shape....felt pretty good about times for first time working on speed though. Nice warm morning. sweating a lot this morning.

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. Finally met up with the ladies at Lakeland. I got in touch with Mishel and we carpooled together up to Lakeland. I had just gotten out of the loop with running with them and am just getting back into it now. Janet was the only one we met up with. Seemed like everyone else has some type of pain or issue going on and hasn't been meeting as regularly. We had a great work out though; I really sweated out, red face and all. The hills were tough after not doing them for awhile. It was a great run though and the clouds were dark but held out until we were done with the run! We ran the usual route but the longest distance where we turn right.

ARSHS. Early a.m. Speed work out. I hadn't worked out on the track for awhile so I got myself to do the painful speed work outs. I first ran 2 laps slow (1/2 mile) to warm up my muscles before I ran fast. Then I ran one lap (1/4 mile) very fast, was out of breath, but then walked a mile. I did that routine 4 times. What a work out that was! I am going to be sore! I didn't time each time I did the sprint but it looked like it was an average of 1:45 per lap. I know the last lap I did the fastest someone; amazes me I still had anything left in me. Weather was nice; getting warmer. I saw one guy working out near road then drive up in his vehicle-he was younger. I saw 3 cats while driving out.

Hemlock Rd. 8:45 a.m. No work today so ran a bit later. It was nice there was a break in the rain when I ran. It was warm due to the cloud coverage. I wore tight capris and short sleeved shirt with new bra but I felt overlly hot on this run. I really was sweating most of the way. I ran from home to Hemlock, R on 20th St, to end then back to main Hemlock Rd, then my usual route past the casino back along the neighborhoods. Tired to run faster today. Hard run, tired. Breathing hard.

IRC (Interurban Runners Club). Auburn. WA. 6:30 p.m. This was a small race put on by this club that runs on the Interurban trail. I heard about it through the Cedar River runners. Lisa and Denali came out to meet me and run the race as well! Denali did so well in the Bob as Lisa pushed! Go mom!!! It was a nice sunnny evening after work. It actually got a little hot. Wore black capris and sleeveless shirt. Felt pretty good today. I only ate a nutragrain bar after work and some water. The route was just out and back, paved, all flat. This is a certified course. There were only 36 runners but it made it nice and low key. Lisa had a lot of fun too! I met up with the Cedar River Runners some and we got a picture together. I talked to Tony and Dean mainly. It was great to see them there because it had been awhile since I had seen them! They all did well of course. There was a young girl I couldn't catch up to but was in front of me the whole day; I could always see her. Then Mary from Cedar Runners came in first out of the ladies; I think only 2 ladies were in front of me. Felt pretty happy with how I did for not trainning but a couple fast runs before hand. However, I did start ouf fast again and couldn't hold that pace. My L knee hurt a little bit, not IT but more below the knee cap. I am guessing just because of the fast constant pounding on pavement. Good course though. There is a series of 3 runs including this one so I am going to try and run the next one in July! Fun! That was my brother's bday so I will try to run it in honor of him and get a good time!

Game Farm Park. Early a.m. Hard to run with the ladies on a Friday because they run a little later than I want. I have to be at work by 7:30 a.m. so I have to get up regular early early time. This was just a maintenance run after the race. I could feel my legs so tight so it made this run hard to do. Sore on hams. Did fine though. Saw older guy with cocker spanial again, a mid age guy walking, maintenance guy cleaning, and 3 ladies running at end of my work out. The maintenace guy just opened the gate a min after I got there. Did my usual 3 laps around the park. Slight annoyance on R side of leg this time.

Our New home off of 33rd St. SE. 6:00 a.m. No work this morning until p.m. so I got together with Michelle to go running since she lives right across the road from me now! We are all moved into our new home! I have everything boxed up right now so I wasn't even able to find my garmin running watch. I got the mileage from Michelle. Niki, Angela, and Allister came out as well to go for a run! It was a surprise to me to see others there. I thought it was just going to be Michelle and I but others joined as well. The more the merrier! We ran from Michelle's house up the back road to BV, then down past the red barn, left on Lemontree Rd. Then we made a right onto Orchard. We got to run up past some country roads. We got to a sign near some farmlands then turned around at about 2 miles. We then ran the same way back except we did the entire loop on main Rd. instead of taking shortcut past our new home. I talked a lot with Allister and Angela on this run. There was a period of time where we walked for a couple of min. This time I didn't mind the walk because I was very tired this morning and also sore from the race on Wed. Excellent run though! I am so happy to be in this new neighborhood!

Mishel's home, across from our new home. 5:45 a.m. Mishel and I met up to run. Niki, Jan, and Cheri joined us. We ran from Mishel's house, across path to BV, past, L on lemontree, then up to the country roads. This time we ran all the way to the school, past Jan's farm house. Then turned around and ran back. Great run! Jan was the one that met us at Mishel's house running from her own house. She is trainning for a 1/2 marathon so she ran back with us again. Great run! I ran with Cheri and Jan in the beginning then ran with Mishel and Niki. I love having this ladies group that meets early a.m.! How convienent as well!

 Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. I didn't get hardly any sleep last night because I was so busy getting the place ready for my family and packing for Paradise.  Ran usual route from her home to country roads, at turn around sign we ran back. Good run but we ran a slower pace I could tell. It was just Mishel and I running because Niki didn't get enough sleep.

 TT: 41:23    Avg: 9:11   Max: 7:54

 Splits: 9:17, 9:34, 9:05, 8:57, 8:58 

Paradise, CA. PHS. We ran about 3 miles however my gps didn't start to calculate until later. Dad and I did a run from our home to PHS, 2 miles on track and then back home. Dad and I were both very tired; his ankle was bothering him and I didn't get enough sleep. There was just too much on my mind with everything coming up.It was nice to get out and run though before our long drive. It is always nice running on a rubberized track and also familiar area!

Auburn, WA. Our home. Dad and I ran about 6:00 a.m. from our home, across pathway to BV, L on Lemon tree and up that neighborhood. Dad was acutally having some ankle pain again so he started out walking but then caught up to me when I got to Lemon tree neighborhood. We ran together on Orchard and up toward the horses then we turned around. I just wanted to show him the barn and also pathway that I go running with the ladies. He felt okay later when running back. He feels he just needs to get warmed up first then he is good to go. Nice weather.

Enumclaw, WA. 7:30 a.m. Amyas and I drove to Enumclaw Starbucks, parked and then ran a route from there to Mt. Peak. We ran on some back roads but eventually found the mountain. It was only about 2 miles awa from Starbucks. June passed us in her vehicle on the way to Mt Peak. She was not up for a run this morning because she stayed up too late. It was tiring for some reason to run to the Mt. I think I was just too tired from everything going on. Then we met up at base of mountain: June, Mishel, Denise (new runner), and Anna came later. It was a very steep climb. We hiked most of the way but ran some areas on top and down to the look out area. What a hike and beautiful view! It was so beautiful in the trees! The weather was just amazing! So bright and sunny! Great run! Amyas did very well on the run and hike.

Sheri's home. 8:00 a.m. Sabbath hike/run. Dad, Amyas, and I followed Mishel and her husband Jeff to Sheri's home. We ran with Sheri from her home down on a trail to the Green River. Beautiful sunny day again! The trail just went down and was a wide as a horse trail. The river was beautiful but gradually errodes away due to all the water. We ran back up the road but it was so tough because it was all up hill. I couldn't quite run the whole way up, so tired. We walked and talked a lot. When we got to the top dad and Amyas decided to go home but the rest of us did one more route down to the river but walked the way back up. I only timed areas where I was running and I forgot to start my watch part of the way down on the first route. It was a nice run/hike.

Cheri's home. 5:45 a.m. Mishel and I took separate cars there because I only wanted to do a 3-4 mile run. We met at Sheri's home and ran from her home down the St. to the main Rd. Turned R and then went down some other street to the Right. I had to turn around about 200 meters on that road. Sheri and Mishel kept on going. The weather was goregous today!! Sunny but yet still cool however not a cloud in the sky! What a nice opportunity to run with these women and have goregous weather! No pain in ankle this time, just a little pain under Left knee.

My home. 5:15 a.m. I ran solo today because the ladies all wanted to run a long run and they started later.I had to get up at 5 a.m. to make sure I could get my run in and have time to get to work because Fri I have to be there sooner. It was cloudy this morning and windy; kinda chilly. I wore a jacket for a bit. I ran from my home, on path to BV, then turned into where the red barn is. I ran on the back grassy trails going straight near the barn, followed that up a STEEP short hill but then turned around when I found the path was too overgrown.I ran back down and joined the main big trail on the private airstrip. I ran the loop, just backways compared to what I am used to. It was kinda scary running near the edge because of the overgrown bushes so I didn't do some of the back trails that go near the ridge. I ran the loop that went back to airstrip then turned around and ran the gravel road back to where I started. Then I ran down Academy Dr toward Lemontree to Auburn Way S, turned around and headed back to home, but took the car route back home. Wow, that seemed long but it was only 3 miles. I think it was tougher because a lot of it was on grassy uneven trails, plus the steep hill. No pain though:)

My home. 5:13 a.m. I hadn't heard from Mishel or anyone else about running this morning so I did a run solo. I tried to work on speed a little bit by running faster than I normally do. I started out way too fast as usual and got tired my 2nd mile but still had some in me to run a very fast time the last mile. I was happy with that! It was good temperature. I wore shorts and a light short sleeved top. I ran the usual route from my home, BV trail, Lemontree, all the way to the street off of the small street where there are horses, and back. I didn't see any people out. It made my morning to see the cute black and white cats along the way and some beautiful horses eating right as you turn onto the smaller street past the neighborhood. Good run! Breathing hard and a lot of work to run fast but helped that I went to bed early. No pains.

Interurban Trail off of W. Main St. in Auburn. 6:30 p.m. My 2nd series race from IRC. It was just a small group again but a fun run. There were less people than the last run but it was still a lot of fun. I would say there were only about 15 runners. I had a goal this time to beat my PR from last race and also it was for my brother whose bday was July 13, he would have been 31 years old. Happy with my results! Lisa was there again with her little girl. I also saw some of the Cedar River runners. Dean was there again but running barefoot! Craziness! Lisa and I also met some nice girls who run from Sqoreboard (sp?) in Federal Way on Thursday eve. They were both in my age division. Same course, out and back on flat asphault. I felt I did well except about the last mile I started to get a little nauseas. I had eaten at Athens resturant a veggie grinder for lunch, bad idea! It is a very heavy type sandwich. So I held it together and didn't loose it luckily but it hurt the last 100 yards. So glad to be done! I pushed myself too and beat my last time!! So happy about that. Lisa and I both got blue ribbons! We got a picture again with the Cedar river runners! Fun stuff!

Niki's house at Lake Tapps. 5:30 a.m. First run from Niki's place. I was so sore from last night but for some reason wanted to run again this morning! Plus I had never been over to Niki's area and wanted to run a different route. Let me tell you, it was different! We ran mainly on paved roads. We had to run along a highway for a bit of it, luckily it wasn't too long because it was busy. We ran from her place on some back roads to the main road that you would take going to Bonney Lake. Then we cute up a small road and that took us a back way into Lakeland Hills. We ran past the shopping area and did a loop on 62nd street, then back to plaza, then back the way we came. Man was this a work out! My legs were hating me! Luckily it was a slower pace run! We walked a couple of times with Niki's knees acting up. It was challenging for all of us because Mishel was tired too. It was Mishel, Niki, and I on this run. It was a good run though. It was all cloudy but no rain.

Roegner Park. 6:30 p.m. Met up with Lisa at Roegner park after a scrapbooking expo I went to! It was so cool to run at the park because it had been so long since I had been there! There was a huge reunion going on there so it was a little funny and akward running past this big elderly group of people gathering together. Also there were a lot of people playing disc golf as well. Lisa brought Denali and pushed her in the Bob. She did good until the end of the run and then started to cry so we stopped and walked some. Overall, great run and so nice to get together with Lisa again before she leaves for Hawaii! Weather was a bit muggy and about 70 degrees but not too bad, alittle cloudy.

Sunny's house. 7:00 a.m. Met up at Sunny's place for the first time but I had never been there before so I had to call Niki to make sure I hadn't passed her place off of Tacoma point on Lake Tapps. What a goregous home she just moved into a month ago!!! Her 3 kids are so so cute as well!!! It was just Sunny, Niki, and I today for a run around Sunny's neighborhood. We ran up her street turned around and then turned left on a street, hit 17th street to 16th St. Then we went on the road going towards Lakeland hills. We did a loop and then back to the gas station then to Sunny's home. It was about 4.25 miles. I had to estimate because my GPS didn't calculate where we were right away. Good run though, slow pace but good. Proud of myself for getting up early on a Sunday and running. It was cloudy so we just beat the rain, as it came later in the morning. I got to see Sunny's home after and view of the lake!! So nice to live there I'm sure!

My home. 5:10 a.m. It feels like it is getting so much darker than it used to. However, there was a cloud coverage this morning that may have made it look darker. It was just tricky to get running this morning. The temp was good though. I ran my usual route to Lemontree Lane and then on the country road to post and back. I ran had a decent speed this morning. I did have some R ankle pain though, but it wasn't severe.

Mishel's home. 6:15 a.m. I ran this morning with Niki and Mishel. I wanted to make sure and join the group before I leave to go camping. I also wanted to get a run in for sure. It was actually kinda misty though when I ran. The one day that I decide to wear a cotton Tshirt it was misty and it felt heavy and wet. We ran the usual route through Lemontree and up on the back roads, but when we got to school we made a left on a new road I am not familiar with and it made a loop back past the barn. It went on smaller gravel roads; fun new scenary!! We had a great run but had some R ankle pain this morning, even before I started.

Cedar River Trail-Lake Wilderness Lodge. 7:30 a.m. It has been awhile since I've met up with this group. Lisa met we there. Beautiful weather! Sunny but not too hot yet! There were about 8 of us there. I know some included Cliff, Trev, Dean, Lisa, me, another lady-can't remember her name, etc. Dean ran with Lisa and I for most of the way. We would leave the lodge and go the main route. I went about 4.22 miles on the trail before I turned around. We talked the whole day just about. Lisa turned around at 3.5 because she wanted to walk some.I ran with Dean about 1 mile more ahead then turned around. Dean kept running further. I tried to catch up to Lisa but never caught up with her. She did very well at the end! I got tired when I got the hill going up. Lisa finished about 5 mins or so before me. No pains so that was good.

Grayland State Park, WA. 9:00 a.m. Camping at a new beach with Nicks family. I decided to run today on the beach. The beach was only about 5 min. away from our campsite. I walked in my flip flops from the campsite to the beach. I left my sandles in the sand at the beach and ran from the bluff entrance to the ocean. Then I ran along the water for about 1.5 miles. Going back I wanted to set a challenge so I ran in some deep soft sand for 1/2 mile. Boy, was that challenging! I had to force myself to keep on running even though it was so tiring! What a work out! The distance I did in the deep sand was so hard! Then I ran the last 1/2 mile between the deep sand and right in the water, wet/dry sand like-more firm. Also some of the time was running up toward the bluff trying to find the exact area I entered the beach. They all looked the same! I could tell it was a bit harder on the feet running on the beach but proud of my accomplishment. However, that day and 1-2 days after the run my calves hurt so bad! I could barely walk!!!

Mishel's home. 6:30 a.m. I didn't have to work today! Whoohoo! I had today off because I thought we were going to be camping the whole time. It was just Mishel and I running this morning because everyone else seems to be injured or on vacation. We kept a good pace together and are about the same speed. I acutally felt a little tired out running with her because I feel like I may be catching a small cold from Nick. We'll see though, it doesn't feel too bad and may blow by. It was a good morning for a run but it was already starting to get warm. We ran the route from her home, to BV on trail, L on Lemontree, out to the country roads and turned L on a little road that enters a dirt trail that I've ran once. Good route!. She liked that we didn't have to stop to walk because a lot of times that will happen when someone has knee or ankle pain. Slight soreness on calves from last run on the beach.

Starbucks Encumclaw. Mishel rode with me in my new honda civic to starbucks in enumclaw. We were just going to do a hike up Mt. Peak but decided to run from the starbucks to the peak. We ran about 2 miles total from starbucks to Mt. Peak. There we met up with June, Angela, and Denise. June and Angela passed us driving as we were on the last stretch. It was a tough run for both of us for some reason even though so short. It was beautiful to see the cows and fog lifting. We both agreed it was so goregous and a great way to start the day! Us 5 climbed up the goat path to the top, saw the goregous view, got a picture then hiked down and then back up on a very steep goat trail. That was challenging! June is the leader when it comes to work outs. Also near the end when we were just going down hill, June and I ran down to the bottom of the hill as fast as we could.

My home. 5:15 a.m. Ran solo today due to Mishel's big run yesturday, she wanted to take today off. Ran trail to BV then instead of Lemontree went to the airstip. It was all foggy and wet grass so it probably wasn't the best because I got my shoes and socks all wet. I just wanted to try something new. I ran up and down the main airstrip twice. It was a big workout because of running on the grass. I felt very tired! Didn't see anyone out walking this morning. I ran back to home after running on grass.

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. I carpooled with Mishel. She drove her car this time. It was fun to meet up with the ladies after it had been awhile since we ran at Lakeland. Niki, Janet, Sunny, Mishel, and I ran the usual route but didn't do the extended loop this time near the end. I ran with Sunny and Janet in the beginning and it was fun to catch up and get to know them better. Later, I ran with Mishel because we are about the same speed. We don't like to walk at all on the run. It was nice weather but did start to get a little warm...still comfortable though. I noticed some strong calf pain on my left side. I think that is still from running on the beach. man! Maybe the hills triggered it off??? Other than that, great run! Goregous sunrise this morning and view of Mt. Rainier!

Sunny's Home. 5:35 a.m. Mishel rode with me over to Sunny's place off of Tacoma Point on Lake Tapps. We met up with Niki there, however, Sunny slept in on accident and she didn't run with us. Us 3 had a good run even though I was very tired. I didn't sleep too well last night; kept waking up and only got 6.5 hrs of sleep-No good. I was wakeboarding/tubing the evening before so that probably had something to do with that, plus a late dinner and some homemade icecream! We ran around the neighborhood on Tacoma point, over to Lakeland Hills plaza and a loop off of 62nd street and back around. Then we went to the 7/11 gas station and back that way to Tacoma point.The weather was misty/light rain but actually felt good later in the run. Started out cold but warmed up fast. It was a challenging run because I was tired and there were some hills. My calf didn't bother me at all though. I was just sore on my lower back from tubing and my arms too. When we got back Sunny was waiting with waters and had us come in for some coffee and pie. She was so sorry she slept in and didn't hear the alarm. We drank our coffee on the back porch and looked at the tranquil water....how awesome is that! How nice to live right on the lake!!!

Starbucks in Enumclaw. 6:30 a.m. Niki, Sunny, and I met at Starbucks to meet Mishel who started her run work out from June's place at 5:30 a.m. You go girl! We ran a nice route on Roosevelt street and then turned Left back over to the grassland/wetland area on the bike trail to Starbucks. That was about 5 miles.Then we met up with the normal running group at 7:30 a.m. to do another 5 miles. We had probably about 5 min break in between times. June, Jan, Janet, Lindsay, Angela joined us for a run. Sunny didn't feel well so she had to go home. Janet brought her dog Cloey and Lindsay brought her dog Mia. We ran a route off of Watson towards Mt. Peak and the side of it to the left and a big loop back. Mishel was getting very tired the last 4 miles or so. I was exhausted as well from staying up late the night before and eating some pizza. It was a mental game to keep going but it really helped to run with Mishel and Niki who kept my pace the whole way. We were out on the front of the pack but we did have to stop and walk twice because we were just so tired. The weather was cloudy and kinda muggy but it was beautiful with the sun trying to peak through. No pain in legs which was nice. The only 2 things that sort of bothered me was the Left underarm chafing and left calus rubbing on shoe-that is a usual problem though. Great run!! Felt very accomplished to get 10 miles in!!! It's been awhile since I got that much in. Mishel paid for all of us coffee. I talked with Jan about 3 mile obstacle courses that sound like so much fun! That sounds like my next adventure, just gotta find one on a Sunday!!

BPA Trail. 5:45 p.m. Met up with Nicole, Lisa, and Jordanne. This is the first run back after Nicole is in the US from Sigapore. Yeah!!! Unfortunetly, Denali was crying and upset so Lisa had to take her home and couldn't do the run. She ran earlier with Nicole and Jordanne before I got there. We ran a loop routine, down the BPA trail and then to the left on the street past Winco and back up. For some reason it seemed tough; we all felt like our legs were made of lead. Great run though and a lot better than an out and back on the BPA trail! Great run! We ran a little extra when we got to where are cars were so that the ladies could get a complete even mileage. I felt kinda tired but it was good. We 3 went to Scoreboard after for some pizza...mmm it was good!!!

Mishel's house. 6:00 a.m. Great to have to travel anywhere for this run! Met at Mishel's place right out my front door! Anna and her friend Maricella came for a run. It was neat to see Anna because I hadn't seen her for awhile. We ran the usual route in the beginning out past Lemontree. We tried to avoid a big hill though and turned Left on some road then went up a decent size hill and back down the other side and around. It was a good route and new one. Mishel and I left Anna and Maricella in the dust. I think Maricella was slowing down Anna because she is usually very fast! Mishel and I are about the same speed but lately I feel like she has jst been hauling! I really had to push to keep up with her! Crazy girl! She was pushing below 8 min. on the last 2 miles when I felt exhausted. We ran the road back to our home but ended at Trent's home. Then we walked! I was so happy to be done but what a great work out and nice time!! Mishel was proud! So happy to not have to walk.

Sunny's home at Tacoma Point. 5:45 a.m. Met up with Sunny and Niki this morning. Mishel is taking the day off. We ran the usual route through her neighborhood to Lakeland Hills the loop to turn R on 62nd street. We did a slower pace today with the group we had here. It was a okay run but didn't feel as challenged this morning. I felt good for the most part but part way through slight R lower shin pain for a bit but went away. It was very foggy this morning and slightly chilly at start. Good to get a run in before the weekend.

HOME:) Paradise, CA. 8:52 a.m. Visiting the family for my brother's 10 year memorial since his passing. It was great to do a run with dad on the day it happeneded 10 years ago. I got to sleep in but dad took today off so I asked him to go for a run and we ran up to PHS track. It was already pretty warm out; definetly in the high 70s. We crossed through the cementary to PHS. There were students on the stairs/bleachers taking a preclass to PE it looked like. It was a little odd running in front of them as they were learning what their teacher was saying. But we had a great run anyways. There was one other lady working out on the track and running up the stairs. We did 2 miles on the track; 4 laps one direction and 4 laps the other direction. Then we ran up the hill and home through the cementary. Great run! The heat made it a little harder but it was still good.

Starbucks Lakeland Hills. 7 a.m. Knew that it had been awhile since I had ran and Sunny encouraged me to come out for a run with the ladies. Ladies there: Sunny, Niki, Janet, Angela, and Angela brought a new runner who just moved into the neighborhood-Marianne, I think that was her name. She seemed very nice. Weather was great for a run. We did a different route than usual at Lakeland start. We ran out along the road we usually go on but made a R onto 62nd street back around to Sunny's place. It was like doing the route from Sunny's but we started a Lakeland. So when we got to her place it was mentally hard to keep going. It was a good work out and I'm glad the pace wasn't terribly fast because I could tell I was out of shape already. Great run! No one stayed around for coffee this time.

Sheri's home. 6:00 a.m. Mishel and I carpooled to Shari's home in my car. It was cloudy this morning so it made it hot and humid on our run. Everyone else who were going to run bailed last minute for the run. It was only Sheri, Mishel, and I but we had a great run! We ran from her newly graveled road and went down to the main street and turned Left instead of R and did a loop in the area. It was on nice country roads the whole time and you could smell the fresh smell of cows...hahaha! I actually don't mind it though! There were cars and trucks that kept passing us so we had to move over to different areas of the road when they passed us depending on what why they were heading. We had some rolling hills which made the run difficult. We also ran on some loose gravel and that felt like running on sand. I was tired from yesturday's run as well. Good run though. Mishel kept the lead. I stayed back with Sheri most of the time but then caught up with Mishel near the end. Mishel was giving us a hard time for not keeping up. I just didn't want to push it as hard today but ended up going faster at the end. Great run! I ready was sweating!

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Ladies who joined Mishel and I were Angela and Marianne the new lady in the neighborhood. She ran and met us on our street. It was VERY foggy this morning so it made it hard to breath and do the work out to it's fullest potential. Mishel and I ran ahead of the other ladies to keep up a good pace. We are thinking of working on some speed this Friday so keeping the pace up, as Mishel would say, "No walking." We ran the usual route and made a L turn where the road bends and you go on gravel road. Then we took a steep hill up and back around near the highschool. There we met up with the other ladies. We kept the lead though on the way back. Mishel pushed again but it was good pace even though I wanted to slow down.

TT: 50:04  Distance on my GPS was 5.5 but we really did about 5.7, my gps didn't calculate right away. TT is according to 5.5. distance and so are the rest of the splits and averages.

Avg: 9:02   Max: 7:05

Splits: 11:19 (whew! That is horrible!), 8:58, 8:46, 8:27, 8:15, 7:58 (I love how we got WAY faster

Shari's home. 5:30 a.m. Mishel and I rode over to Shari's home and met up with Shari. No one else joined us this morning. (Maybe we scared everyone off on Wed. with our speedy run). It was a goregous morning for a run! There was just one cloud I saw but it really cleared up with blue skies and the sun came out about 10 min after we started our run. The barn yards, grass, sunrise, Mt. Rainier, etc all looked so beautiful this morning! God is good! How lucky am I to see this bright and early and have a nice run with 2 fun ladies. I was very tired from only getting 5 hours of sleep last night; just got home late from MK and shopped after for an item; then by the time I get to bed....man! Not the best for the next day run. I felt okay but I definetly didn't mind the slower speed and walking after a steep hill. I think we walked 2x on the run. We ran from Shari's home out to the main road and took a R this time then turned R on the first gravel road that did a little loop and joined back into the main Rd. again. It was fun to do a new route for me (last time I did this I had to turn around cause I was running short on time). Slight L knee pain but nothing major. Tired tired tired, so was Mishel so that was good.

ARSHS. 5:30 a.m. Mishel and I went to the HS to work on some speed trainning. We wanted to switch it up and get faster on our pace. I was surprised she agreed to hop the fence with me. Cheri was going to go but she backed out last minute. The gate was actually open today so we could walk right in. We did a few warm up laps to get going. 3 to be exact. We then lined up on the lanes of 7 and 8. I was in lane 7. We started at the line just past the one that i usually would start at. We ran pretty much full board for almost 1/4 of a mile. Then we would walk a lap. We did 4 sets of these. It was tough! Mishel and I were just worn out by the 3rd and 4th run. We kept getting faster almost each time.

Sunny's home at Tacoma Point near Lake Tapps. 7 a.m. It was Sunny, Niki, Allister, Angela, Sunny's brother, and I. Good run but not as challenging in the beginning. I ran with Sunny for the first part and then finished off a strong finish with Niki! We ran the usual route from her place around the neighborhood but did the little colvesack as well. We just ran to the light in Lakeland and made a loop because Niki had to get back to coach the girls soccer team! The weather was nice but it was really warming up we could tell as the day would go on.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. I was so not wanting to get up this morning because I have been sore from flagfootball, volleyball, and wakeboarding....I was so tired this morning! It was just Mishel, Niki, and I who ran today. Niki kept up with us very well; I was actually fighting to keep up with morning. We ran the main route but continued on pavement instead of L on gravel, past HS, then went up a steep hill that was very hard! We walked a few seconds after that as we waiting for Niki. Then we went back on the gravel trail when we could see the road better. It was very dark this morning, cloudy, and kinda hot. My R ankle bothered me the first couple of miles from football I think. Niki took the dirt shortcut back near house and Mishel and I did the full loop around the neighborhood. She sprinted near the end; I had nothing left to do that.

Cheri's house. 5:30 a.m. Mishel rode with me to Cheri's this morning. It was so so cold!!! I wore a tank like it was still summer but atleast capris instead of shorts I wore. Both Mishel and Cheri offered me a jacket but I thought that I would be fine. I felt like this time I never warmed up too much, atleast not on my shoulders which is rare. It was foggy too so that didn't help as much. We ran from Cheri's home and made a L on the main road out back on the country roads past the cottage and hay area. We make a loop by turning R on 200 street and back to Cheri's road. I felt we kept a decent pace! Cheri did well! We were joking that Cheri and Mishel kept such a good pace because of the aggresion they have with kid drama-teen trouble stuff. I said, I guess I Need to have kids so I can run faster! lol. I felt pretty good this morning, esp. considering I played football last night; I thought I'd be more sore!

Roegner Park. 7 a.m. Ran with NIcole and Lisa! It was great to run with them again! We ran out and back, then just took one break after we did an out and back about 3-4 miles, we took a quick bathroom break. Then we ran the extra bit past 1/2 mile then back and out again and extra bit. Then we had to go a little extra almost under bridge then turned arounld for full 10 miles. We all wanted a long run! We felt good; it was at about mile 8 were my legs started to get stiff, heavier! but other than that did pretty good. Some R leg pain in beginning but went away, my L ankle was sore after. Weather was goregous, 60-70s. Great to run at Roegner again! Nicole ran more mileage after Lisa and I were done. Way to go! The girls were trying to convince me to run a marathon in Dec. I am not quite sure about it but they were convincing.

My home. 8 a.m. I decided to get up and run today even though Labor Day. I felt like I needed to burn off some calories. I didn't bother checking with any of the ladies; thought they would all be tired from the race and different activities as well. It was already starting to get hot today. I passed Angela and Marianne on my way onto Lemon Tree. How funny! We stopped and talked for just a few sec. I kept on going the usual route but evidentaly didn't start my GPS up again after talking. So I think I should acutually add in an extra 1/2 mile to my run. I just went by what my watch said and went a little bit further. I didn't go to the big bend. I ran past the trash cans a bit further out. Then instead of turning onto Rd that connects to Lemon tree I went straight to see where it went. It just went back to the main Rd, 164. So I turned around and went to the Rd I was used to that connected to Lemon tree. Then I ran home; very hot! My legs were in pain, so so sore from the lake I think or the 10 mile run on Sat.? Tough run but I was going a decent pace as well.

Lakeland Hills.5:30 a.m. Decided to join the ladies in Lakeland instead of my usual running buddies. It was just Janet, Niki, and I today. We ran the usual route in Lakeland hills but took the downhill part which was shorter so it was just about 4 miles or so. I felt pretty good, I was worried about the hills and little sleep I got but I did them just fine! Yeah! My right leg felt a little funny in beginning. I think I am really due for new running shoes. No major pains just small ones.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Walked across the street to join a run with Mishel, Angela, and Cheri. It was a surprise to see Cheri there because we usually go to her house for a run. Also I wasn't expecting to see Angela because she has been running with the new girl lately who is more her speed. I thought we scared her. ha ha funny. Great run with all 4 of us. We did our usual route again. Toward the last 2 miles Mishel and I pulled a bit more in the front ot the group. It was actually decently warm this morning so a tank and short shorts was perfect. I feel sore from football and my ankles don't feel the same.

Enumclaw Starbucks. 7 a.m. start. It was June, Angela, and I there waiting for Janet and Lindsey to get there but they were running a little behind. June said I should get going since I was on a time crunch. Angela ran with me and we did the usual route up the bike path and a loop around. She helped remind me what roads to turn on because I still forget the route, especially since I hadn't done it alone. We ran almost the whole time together except towards the end Angela told me to keep going. She walked some and slowed down. Overall, she kept a great pace. I waited up for near a road where I didn't know which way to go but I also didn't want to run alone. The very last stretch I ran solo as I tried to keep my pace steady. It was a goregous day for a run! Sunshine out but not too terribly hot yet!

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. Mishel and I carpooled together to lakeland hills but she drove this time. We were both feeling like zombies this morning! We just didn't get enough sleep last night; tossing and turning most of the night. I think there was just too much on our minds. It was tough to run the hill this morning so we skipped the other big hill. Niki was the only other person there to run with us. Tough run but good work out!

Lakeland hills. 5:30 a.m. I drove solo this morning there because I hadn't heard from Mishel. It was just Janet and I this morning. We never heard back from Niki. It's like everyone ditched out this morning. I paid Janet the money for run for Soliders. I told her I was so tired so we did a shorter route today and went down hill and then back L to the main shopping strip. It was a good run but boy was it tough again! I seriously need to get more sleep! This was the kind of morning where I got up but pondered whether or not I should go back to bed. I even texted some of the ladies to see if were still running and Janet said she'd be there so I made myself run. Plus I wanted to try out my new running shoes and outfit I got Tues!! I love my new running shoes! I was way over due for them!!!!!! HARD HARD RUN today! I prob. just should have slept in!

Cheri's house. 6:30 ish a.m. For some reason I couldn't hear my alarm go off again on my phone or it just never went off. How annoying! Luckily, Mishel texted me to see if I still wanted to run due to the rain outside that was coming down pretty steadily. Of course, I said yes lets still run! I want to get this long run out of the way. Mishel needed an extra 5 min which was good cause I was still getting ready. I had to change my outfit due to the rain. My shoes did really well though! I love my new shoes! We managed to drag Cheri along with us. She was not liking the rain but she's had worse condition for a marathon before. We ran a new route that was suppose to go to a cementary out towards Enumclaw but Mishel wanted to turn R on a country road that went past some of the most beautiful homes ever! Wow! What goregous scenary! Plus it wasn't rainning the whole time, in fact most of the time it wasn't rainning! We got a great run in! We had to add an extra loop in because the short cut we took made the run slightly shorter. My hamstrings were really tightening up on the last hill. We walked a couple of times when Cheri wanted to. Near the end I just booked it on the last stretch to Cheri's home! It felt good but I was tired! Awesome run! Slight R knee pain but dissapatied.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Very damp/foggy this morning. It felt cold due to the moisture but we had patches of warm and cold throughout the run. Mishel, Niki, Angela, and I ran this morning. Angela and Niki had headlites which was nice. I wore my new safetly blinking red light to help while we ran. It was fun to wear my new running clothes, shoes, and light. Fairly good pace we all kept as we ran together. We walked 1-2 times as Niki needed to catch up after the hill and also when the cars both came from different directions. Quite a few cars that passed us a long the way. Usual route past school and the L on road up hill, then back around to gravel road and to main rd. We finished at the end of Grayson Rd and walked to our homes.

Cheri's home. 5:30a.m. It was actually pretty warm this morning. We ran R from Cheri's Rd out that way so I thought it would be a shorter run however I have never been with them when they do the regular route where it is almost 7 miles. I hardly got any sleep last night so I wouldn't have agreed to run that long if I knew in advance. It was tough! There were a lot of rolling hills as well. We ended up running all the way back to the small rd that goes up a hill like when we run from Mishel's place. Wow! Talk about being surprised! I guess this means that it is good trainning for the 1/2 coming up in mid Oct.

Lakeland Hills. 5:30 a.m. We were suppose to meet at 5:15 a.m. but Cheri was running behind and Mishel and I were waiting for her so we could all carpool together. I felt a little rushed on time. We met up with Nikki. Janet wasn't able to make it this time. I felt a lot better today than I felt on Wed, however it was very hot and humid this morning! Yuck! Luckily I had shorts and tank which helped a lot! Cheri was acutually running really well this morning and we kinda kept the lead near the end. The very end Nikki and I kinda raced to the finish sort of. Good run. We just did the usual route.

June's home in Enumclaw. 6:30 a.m. It was rainning this morning. I carpooled with Mishel, along with Niki from Mishel's place. There it was Cheri, Janet, and Anna who joined the run from June's house. June just met up with us later. We left a change of clothes at June's house for after the run. We ran the route up the steep hill and back past the mountain. Then we paralleled the 164 on a back road. I ran with Anna the whole way until Starbucks, bad mistake! She is really really fast! We kept under 9 min which is do able for me but hard on long runs like this one. We just got talking a lot and got to know each other better. We learned a lot and talked about some deep issues, such as loosing a close family member. She is such a strong person and amazing athlete. She is like a white female Kenyan runner. We then met up with the ladies from starbucks but we over jumped the loop that went right to starbucks and on the bike trail the ladies were already coming for us. It was Sunny and June who joined in. Then we did our usual route. The last 2-3 miles I really dropped back in place and felt so tired like I wanted to walk. We did talk some I know. The time wiht 10:00 min is the one we walked for sure. Near the end I ran with Cheri and she helped me mentally to keep on going. Mishel ran up with Nikki and Anna. Tough run but boy was it good! We got to all eat at the Kettle in Enumclaw to celebate Cheri's bday. What a huge portion they give! There was no way I could eat all of it! How funny! You even get a tshirt if you eat all of it!, Something to work towards!

Mishel's house. 5:30 a.m. Angela and Cheri met up with us at Mishel's home. It was actually a lot warmer than I had expected so I wasn't wearing my long sleeved shirt for long at all. I caught up with Angela and it was nice to see how her weekend went and all the stuff she is doing with her daughters. Mishel had a sore throat so she was really lagging today. She said she felt like she was on auto pilot. I ran her speed a lot of the time in the back because I am still sore from Sunday run, what a big jump! I am proud but didn't know if I wanted to do quite that far of a jump. Usual route today. Mishel walked up the hill. I think we walked just for a tiny bit after Mishel got up the hill and tha tis why mile 3 is slow. Overall, good run, just sore on the hamstrings.

Auburn Riverside HS. 5:30 a.m. Nikki met up with me at the track and we worked hard on speed work. She hadn't ran speed work in a long time so she would run most of the way hard and then walk the turns. We ran first for 1 mile to warm up. Then she was in lane 1 and I was in 2. We did 4 sets of 1/4 mile. In between we would walk 1/4 of a mile after each sprint. It was a great work out! It is always hard to run fast like that! I felt it went really well. It was very cold this morning though! Then when we were done we jogged 1 more mile. Total work out: 4 miles (1 mile was walking)

Cheri's house. 5:30 a.m. Mishel and I walked to front of BV and there Niki picked us up to head to Cheri's place for a fast 10k run. We wanted to work more on our speed this time but were all kinda tired/sore. It was very foggy this morning. Angela met us there at Cheri's. I think Angela was a little upset on about mile 4 when we just started to increase our time by a lot. Niki just took off when we headed down the hill. We did the route where we turned L and did a loop to 200 street. There were some hills which made it hard but good training for the 1/2 coming up. It was a tough run! Near the end Mishel wanted to walk some. Cheri and I decided to just finish the run by keeping the running pace. Mishel was right behind us when we finished but she was still battling a cold.

 TT: 53:55   Avg: 8:59   Max: 6:53

 Splits: 9:12, 9:15, 9:36, 8:31, 8:37, 8:45 

Home:) in Paradise, CA!!! 5:30 a.m. Dad and I ran together and it wasn't rainning so that was great! We ran from our home, through the cementary, to PHS, and up the bike trail. It was very dark so dad wore a head lamp and I carried a bright small flashlight. I got scared after reaching the bike path from PHS because I saw a skunk and I didn't want to get sprayed so we stayed to the side and just ran fast past it. We were fine thank goodness! We ran all the way up to where the bike path reaches Skyway and a little past. We basically went just a little last Fast Trip gas station then turned around when my GPS reached 4 miles. We talked a lot of the way so that was nice and made the run go by faster. We did about 2.5 miles on the track but dad had to end up walking some because he just did a 5K race yesturday and his R foot was bothering him some so he listened to his body. I did fine except for alittle L ankle pain that I've been getting. There were some other runners on the bike trail and then some walkers on track. Dad and I ran back together from the track to home.

TT: 1:33:35   Avg: 9:09   Max: ?

Splits: 9:39, 10:02, 9:17, 9:27, 8:48, 8:15,  8:06, 9:41, 8:59, 9:16, 9:17 ( It was up hill on the bike trail and then heading back our time got faster as we went downhill) 

ARSHS. 5:30 a.m. Mishel and I carpooled to the HS to meet up with Niki. We worked on speed today. This was Mishel's first time to have to hop the fence so she had a little trouble. I ran in Lane 3 all the way except one area where there was a bench. I was very tired this morning due to eating late and driving back late from Paradise night before. We ran 1 mile to warm up, sprinted 1/4 mile, walked, then repeated the spring walk thing. When all done we ran 1 mile to cool down. Great work out!

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Niki met up with us but she felt really tired this am and her knee was bothering her. I had a little bit of pain on my L knee and ankle but it went away pretty fast. We ran the usual route but we reversed the part on the gravel and did that first to try to avoid some of the big hill but we still had a small steep hill to run up.

Greenwater, WA. 6:30 a.m. I carpool with Mishel and her husband Jeff to Safeway in Enumclaw to pick up Anna there. We all took a field trip up to Greenwater which is a little past Crystal Mtn. I am not sure what time we got there but we prob. didn't start running until 7 or so. It was lightly rainning but not bad. It was up in the boonies and high elevation so my gps had trouble calculating so I only have a few splits. We ran about 14 miles total though. It was some nice trail running but it was a little muddy from the rain. It was a goregous run through the woods and leaf parachutes and plants. There was a stream, waterfall, and some beautiful lakes a long the way! I loved the light green and yellow leaves! A lot of the way to Lost Lake was uphill, winding, and lots of roots.When we got to the lake we walked around and took pictures at the lake and also saw a toliet someone made for people that knew about it. Most of the way in I ran up with Anna in the front and Mishel was having some issues-not feeling that great and her legs wouldn't move! Her and Jeff ran near the back. On the way back I talked with Jeff and took the 2nd to back. I started to feel light headed a little and hypoglycemic. They said I looked kinda pale. I was able to use a Tri berry gu which helped a lot. I had one gu coming in with mocha flavor caffeine. I felt better when I got a couple miles into the way back. Mishel had to stop once to wrap her foot so it was nice to rest for a bit. Great run! We really flew down on the way back since it was mainly down hill. I tripped over a root but luckily caught myself.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Cheri, Mishel, and me. It was decently warm this morning due to the cloud coverage. Cheri and I left our jackets right before we turned to get onto the country Rd out of Lemon Tree Rd. We ran our usual route. I felt good this morning like I finally got enough sleep. Mishel was sluggish. Cheri was very tired too because she just got back from VA on Mon. night and she had jet lag plus she hasn't ran the last 9 days while on vacation.

Cheri's home. 5:15 a.m. It was very chilly this morning a lot of fog so made cold moisture in the air. I wore a jacket for atleast the first 2 miles. My hands were cold and my arms but the rest of me was fine. Cheri, Niki, Mishel, and I ran this run. I wanted to push a little more on this one since it is my last run before the race. Cheri was up in front with me most of the way but then fell back with Niki as Niki has been having some knee pain still. Mishel's inner foot/leg has been bothering her but she ran up in the front with me and we pushed it the last couple of miles together on our time. There were a lot of trucks and cars in a row that passed us by.

Gig Harbour. 8:00 a.m. Race for a Soldier. Got a good nights sleep, ate a light breakfast, and prepared well for this race. I rode with Mishel this morning. Sheri, Gordan, and 2 high school girls came as well to run. We all went together about 6:30 a.m. to Gig Harbour. It was very very cold this morning! I had shorts on and a tank but ended up keeping my long sleeved shirt that was given in the race packet. It was an awesome shirt! Very light weight but nice looking black long sleeved sports tee. I had to have something to wear after the race so I wouldn't get too cold. I don't like having long sleeved though cause you have to tie it around your waist. Used the restroom before the race then Sheri, Mishel, Gordan, and I lined up in the 9 min pace corral. I started out not as fast as I usually do trying to be smarted about my start time. Then when I saw myself getting ahead I slowed down and went the speed of Mishel and Sheri. They kept a good pace most of the way and were just right behind me or with me most of the way. When we got the hill though I actually ran on ahead of them. We passed Niki and Janet before the hill on mile 4. The hill was tough but I was amazed at how good I felt on the hill. The only hill that bothered me the most was when we got to the gated community past mile 8 and there was a tough hill right after the golf course on the L. My legs were burning there and I almost wanted to walk but didn't. I took one blackberry gu shot on mile 7 and drank water at every water stop. The course was on black top so it wasn't too hard on the knees. I didn't have any pain the whole way!! I did get just a little chaffing under my arms but that was it! No pain on the calus of my L foot!!!! I love my new asics!!! I can honestly say I felt strong the whole race! I had a lof of endurance and speed. I was able to pass a lot of people a long the way. I loved how the last 2 miles or so was on gravel/dirt near a water tank. It really switched things up a lot! I enjoyed running through the richy neighborhood as well!! Some of those houses were amazing!!!!!! The landscaping and golf courses were goregous!! How fun!! I would have to say I really enjoyed the course! It was nice that it was just cloudy and there was no rain!! I had enough energy right near the end to sprint as well!!! I did mentally get super tired the last mile though but I knew I was almost done. I sprinted full on when I saw the finish line. I got a neat dog tag for the finishing medal! Ate a bannana and nutrition bar after. So happy to have completed this run!

Lakeland hills. 5:30 a.m. I met up with Janet today to run some hills. I felt really good this morning being the first day back into the running after 1/2 marathon. When we both ran up the hills they didn't seem to bother me at all. We were even talking most all the way. We did our usual route.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. It felt a little chilly this morning due to the breeze. It was just Mishel, Angela, and I who ran today. Nikki's bday today and Cheri had a headache. We ran the usual route through Lemon tree, country Rd, and then up the steep hilll and around the backside. Angela was so sweet and gave me some running gloves from costco however they look a little too small for me:( Darn! I felt tired for this run for some reason. Going up the hill was very though! Gonna take tomorrow off from running! Angela did very well this morning and kept the lead actually. Mishel and I were sore. I like how we got a lot faster at the end!

Wikeson. 8:00 a.m. picked up Anna in Enumclaw to run with Mishel, Jeff, and I. We went up to Wikeson town past Sunset Lake. We drove off on a trail that went a ways passed Enumclaw...maybe 30 min. It was a state park that part of the land was on Mt. Rainier property. We were able to park our vehicle though without paying since none of us had cash. We ran up a paved trail but then quickly turned into dirt, gravel, and mud. It was a tough trail because there was definetly a gradual incline the whole way (4.9 miles) and also the elevation diff compared to what I am used to. The weather was nice though, slightly foggy, but no rain. We even swa some sun and clear blue skies along the way. Anna took some pictures as well! Great run! There we a couple of spots we had to jump over a little water and step in some mud. We stopped and drank water and had some energy food when we got the camp ground at the end and start of another trail head up to some glaciers. We enjoyed the raging river on the trail. We really picked up the speed on the way back but I didn't feel as good. I wasn't weak this time but I prob ate too much of my snickers bar/marathon energy bar and felt slightly stiff and tired on the way back. I took more of the rear. I ran with Jeff most of the way back. Anna and Mishel were booking it with a nice pace of 7:30 on the way back. Shocking for Mishel to keep up with Anna! Go girls!!!

Sheri's place. 5:30 a.m. Very cold and foggy. Mishel said it was 32 degrees but Sheri was convinced that it was low 40s. It felt very cold this morning but still not sure it was freezing. However, I never fully warmed up this morning so I wore a jacket and long capris the whole time. We ran the route to the R of her St and then looped around and back again. Lots of hills that were extremely difficult this morning. Sheri charged up them but Mishel and I were having trouble. We saw a couple of people walking past us as we ran down the hill.

Lakeland Hills. 5:15 a.m. Mishel gave me a ride because she decided to run today. I ran today but it was hard because I had an eye infection yesturday and I might have still had it on my run. Bright lights would hurt my eyes and it was hard to open. It felt sandy however they seemed to feel fine when I was running. They still felt a little different when I woke up. It was Mishel, Niki, Janet, and I who ran. Good run other than the eye issues. Niki and I were talking about contacts and what can sometimes happen.

Cedar River Trail. 7:30 a.m. I met up with the Cedar River runners at Lake Wilderness Lodge. I met up with Anna because she said she wanted to run there with Mishel and I. However, it didn't work out for Mishel due to close to church time getting back. The weather was absoluetly GOREGOUS today!!! It was in the high 40s but clear skies and the sun came out for a lot of the time! We had a nice size group. Some included Cliff, Trev, Tony, Mary, etc...There were also 2 other lady runners. There was Gage, Anna's dog and then Mary brought her dog, Emily I believe was her name. We had some other guys as well. I think there were maybe 8-10 of us. We also happen to be running the same time there was a race going on for Halloween 1/2 marathon. We saw 3 ladies with cute halloween socks as well. I ran with Anna most of the time and some new guy who seemed pretty into running bc he has done 3 iron man runs. He was trying to keep his pace low though. We ran with Mary near the end of the run after we stopped for 5-10 min for bathroom breaks at end of run before we had to turn around. The pace that we kept was very fast pace! Anna definetly kept me going a lot faster than I would normally run. That is why we mainly stayed in the 8 min mile range until the end I was so tired! I didn't eat any gu but I had some of propel water and also had a small breakfast before the run. When we got to the end we got to have cinnamon rolls that Cliff brought (I kept them in my car while we ran for him) and hot chocolate that Mary had brought! Fun Fun! I had to take off to make it in time for church!

Mishel's home. 5:30 p.m. It was very cold this morning! Silly me did not wear gloves. It was frosty out and I kept my long sleeved shirt on the whole time with a regular shirt underneath. Angela, Mishel, and I ran this run. Mishel and I were both really tired. Angela did really well. Luckily we went a lot faster the last 2 +miles.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Clear skies but not as cold this morning! Great morning for a run! About 40 degress this morning. I wore my gloves though the whole time and long sleeve and that seemed to help. It was Cheri, Mishel, Angela, and I. It was Cheri's first run back for a week after being sick. Angela has been doing well by coming twice this week! We ran the usual route.

Lakeland Hills Starbucks. 8 a.m. Beautiful Sunday morning. The time changed so I got to sleep in an extra hour. It was cold and frosty on my car but it warmed up some. It was in the high 30s. The sun was shinning most all of our run. It was Niki, Janet, Lindsay, and Sunny. They actually started to walk off before I caught up to them because I was just a bit late getting there. They were happy to see me but didn't want to leave me behind; however it was my fault; i didn't let them know I was running with them. We ran throughout the neighborhoods and back down a Rd that lead to a busy road that led up to the Chevron. We ran some different areas that went a long Lake Tapps but more on the South West end that I had never seen. Very beautiful but hilly! I ran with Lindsay a lot of the way and we split up from the group because we wanted to get more mileage in today. We kept joining back up with the other ladies but mainly got to know Lindsay better. She talked all about different things then we started to talk about dental hygiene and jobs; and the Dental Hyg. association. I was really tired today and those hills were killers! I hate late last night was prob the problem. My L leg right below my buttocks was really bothering me; I am wandering if I pulled a muscle.? It bothered me when I got into bed as well....Didn't stay for coffee today; just heading home because Lindsay and I finished before the rest.

Cheri's house. 5:15 a.m. Niki picked Mishel and I up from BV and we all met up with Cheri out in the farmland area:) It was cloudy and did rain on us this morning. It was fine at start but then got sprinkly and then just started coming down pretty steady. It was very warm though due to the cloud coverage so I stripped down to my tank and felt fine. I did wear my gloves on and off though. Mishel and I ran together mostly in the front and then tried to pick up speed near the end. The last stretch on Cheri's road I pushed to get a little better tail end to my mile. We ran from Cheri's road to the right and did the hills today.

Mishel's house. 5:30 a.m. Angela and Cheri met up with us as well. They were standing out and all ready to go before I got out there. It was a bit chillier this morning and it was the morning I didn't take my gloves, go figure. It was clear out and a good day for a run, just felt so cold! I wore long sleeve and pants. We ran our usual route that went on the gravel road after the hill. I started out running a little ahead with Angela and we talked a lot about tragedies and reminded her about my brother again; so many people struggling with loosing family members lately. Remembering Mishel's husband's sister..We made it up the steep hill but just walked a bit; Mishel was right behind us. Then Mishel and I took the lead on the gravel road area and all the way back. We pushed each other this morning! Cheri and Angela were amazed about our pace and joked about us being too fast. It was tough though even though Mishel thought I was speedy this morning-I was not feeling up to par...heheh

Mishel's house. 5:30 a.m. I was so tired this morning and out of shape for not running since Thur! It was Mishel, Sheri, and I this morning. It was very cold! It was frosty on the cars, glad I had my gloves! I should have had something over my ears! We did our usual route. Felt fine; just tired. Sheri started to go a lot faster near the end of the of the run. Mishel and I couldn't keep up with her this time!

Cheri's place. 5:15 a.m. Niki picked Mishel and I up on an awfully COLD morning!!! The cars were frosty and we were feeling like icecles! It was 34 degrees but it felt colder! We bundled up! I wore a jacket over a tank and long sleeved shirt, gloves, and borrowed Mishel's head wrap for the ears. Us 4 ran L this time past the dairy farm, very potant smells this morning! It felt like a really long run to us all and I think it was because it was so hard to warm up and we were all feeling pretty tired!

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. It wasn't as cold this morning because of the cloud coverage but there was a very strong gusty wind! Our trashcan got knocked over! Just Mishel and I this morning; Cheri bailed out. We ran our usual route but both felt very sluggish so we didn't push hard this morning. The hill part that loops around Mishel wanted to walk up but we just kept running; I said as long as we can run slow that is fine. So we powered up that at a slow pace and then we did walk a bit after that. What a hard run so happy to be done!

Federal Way Community Center. 4 p.m. Met up on a cold eve. after my early stop time at work. It was Lisa, Jordanne, Nicole, baby Denali, and I who ran. It was neat to finally meet up after along time of not running together. It was very chilly though! No rain! We ran down the BPA trail from the community Center. Nicole helped Lisa with the Bob stoller across some construction parts into the park. We ran all the way to the Aquatics area and then ran back. Lisa didn't want to run back due to the hills but we all wanted to because it was quieter. I walked with Lisa some of the time and we all took turns pushing Denali. It was Tough pushing her up the steep hill!!! It is hard enough running up those hills! Good work out even though it was a slow pace. Lisa and Nicole were kinda getting back into it after not running much. It was a good run but just hard due to the hills and it was cold so made it hard to breath. So happy to get together with my running group!

My home. 5:45 a.m. Cheri met me here this time. Mishel had plans to run later with Angela. Cheri and I did the usual route loop pass the Muckleshoot HS and a loop up the hill, and then down past a house and on a gravel road to meet back up with the main Rd. We talked a lot most all of the way; christmas stuff and Thanksgiving plans. Very neat to just get to know Cheri better! We both kept a decent pace and didn't walk at all except just when we both dropped off our jackets at the end of Lemon tree. Rained some but not too bad this morning when we ran.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. I decided to try and run this morning especially since I missed yesturday due to my sore muscles from football. I felt a lot better this morning and actually got enough rest. My muscles aren't nearly as sore! Unfortunetly, it was rainning pretty steadily. Cheri, Mishel, and I braved the yucky weather but we got dreanched! In fact, I can't remember the last time I got this wet with my clothes being weighed down and all from a down pour. The last couple of miles it really started to come down hard. We all kinda took turns stepping in a puddle of water as well so our socks were wet! EW! It was warm outside but the water made me feel cold near the end. Mishel wanted to do an extra 2 miles, extend the loop but Cheri and I weren't up for that. I was mainlly concerned about getting back home to my phone in case I got a call to work. We just did our usual loop without walking which was good. We were all happy with our splits. Good run considering the weather!

June's house in Enumclaw. 7:45 a.m. Thanksgiving morning!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!! I am in the cheerful mood! What a great morning run with June, Angela, Mishel, and me of course;). Mishel drove and picked up Angela on the way. It was very cold outside so we stayed in the car as long as possible. I was so happy to have my running gloves on and long sleeved shirt. We did a big loop run that went up the gradual hill around the Mtn. heading East. We then ran straight and on a quiet country Rd then turned a corner to parallel the first Rd we ran on. I started out with Angela up the hill and the first 2 miles and then I ran with Mishel and we got quite a ways ahead of Angela and June. We didn't know which way to turn but went on the busy Rd back to June's Rd and then her street. We got just under 8 miles which I was happy with. Mishel and I were both out of breath and ready to be done by mile 7. It is so much harder to run and breath when it is cold outside. It might have froze last night.

Cheri's place. 5:30 a.m. Run with Mishel, Cheri, and I. Mishel seemed very tired this morning; she was lagging behind slower than I've ever seen her run before. She must have still be tired from Seattle half and not getting enough sleep. Her son had the flu as well. Cheri and I ran together most of the time and talked a lot about J2B coming up soon. We ran the route to the L with the hills. It was lightly raining while we ran.

Mishel's house. 5:30 a.m. Cheri couldn't make it this morning. It was Angela, Mishel, and I who ran. Usual route we ran and we all felt better than last run. Looks like we kept a decent pace!

Mishel's house. 6:30 a.m. I had to think this run through and make sure I wanted to get up this early on a Sunday morning but decided to since we had to start earlier because we are going to Black Bear for Breakfast with the mother in law. So I wanted to keep Mishel company especially since she was running 20 miles today and didn't want her to do the long first stretch alone. We ran from our home up Lemon tree, to the road that connects to Sheri's Rd, ran past her house and kept going on the country Rds (It would be turning a L if we had started from Sheri's place), went to the blinking light but then made a L there I believe. We both actually felt pretty good. It was just the first hill in the beginning that got us! We had to warm up and were out of breath from the first gradual hil. We ran to another blinking light and made a L there to June's Rd. 400. That was longer than we thought and there were some rolling hills involved. The whole distance was almost a mile longer than Mishel had anticipated. We were both very tired on that last mile on June's Rd. From there I was done because I had parked my car there so I could drive home. Mishel and June kept going to Enumclaw Starbucks to meet up with the rest. Mishel was very happy I joined her on the first stretch as she said it would have been really hard be herself. It was also dark when we started. I took some of Mishel's belongings home that she didn't need. Very happy with run! Great mileage and no pain!!! I didn't take any gus just gave one to MIshel because she needed some caffeine. I just used some special powder energy in my water.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. It was very foggy this morning! Thick thick fog! It was just Mishel and I would ran because everyone else bailed on her. We braved it out there with the fog and I was also very tired. I didn't get much rest last night. I was excited about my new job for Dr. Rude and also had a lot of last minute things I was doing. Run went fine but felt like we were running very slow. The gravel area with pot holes we had to run much slower due to lack of visibility.

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Everyone bailed this morning so just Mishel and I running. Mishel felt like her legs were tight. I actually didn't feel bad considering how I thought I would feel after a week of not running but maybe my legs were just ready to go! Good run!

Mishel's home. 5:30 a.m. Angela joined Mishel and I on our regular run but this time we switched it up and did the loop on gravel road backwards. We ran up the gravel road and down the steep hill on the backside. It was neat to switch it up just a bit. I was really stiff this morning which made this run rediculously hard. Angela and Mishel were pushing me. Happy with our times! Great run! Only light rain.

June's house/Lake Bass. 7:00 a.m. I picked up Marianna from my neighborhood and we drove to June's house in Enumclaw. We ran from her house to the main street, turned R and then R again up at the blinking light and took a new route that I was familiar with called Bass Lake route. It was an area that went thru a neighborhood and some country Rds. When we saw the lake with Mt Rainier in background and sunshining, it was goregous!!! What a nice Sabbath morning run! We ran at a slower pace due to Marianna but it was still a great run.