Monday: Bailey and I started off our day at around 7:00 and did our 7-miler at a nice 9:15-9:30 pace. I will admit, I wasn’t enjoying it. Every mile seemed to drag, and my body just wasn’t super happy. My stomach was hurting the whole time and I just wasn’t “feeling it”. I sound like a big baby. It was only 7 miles. I swear I look more forward to our super long runs more than our middle distance runs. It makes no sense. But we buckled down, per the usual and got it done. Because that’s what you do when you have goals to reach. It isn’t about wanting to do something, you always do it. You just do.

Tuesday: I got up and did another at-home upper body workout. I really like doing them. I dance between sets and sing really loud and lift weights until my arms feel like they are going to come off. After I got done with my upper body workout I did therapy on my feel. I rolled them with a frozen water bottle and with a pressure point ball to help loosen up the tendons. I then foam rolled my legs. Out schedule this week is WHACK! Bailey is going out of town this weekend, so we have to get our long runs in during the week. Thank goodness this is a recovery week. We are doing our back-to-back runs tomorrow and Thursday. Hence the reason I am giving my legs a break today.

Wednesday: I texted Bailey last night and begged her to let me sleep in! I didn’t set an alarm! YAY!!! I don’t even feel bad about it. I feel like I can never get enough sleep, so sleep I shall. Mom dropped Isabella off at my house, and we hung out for like 5 hours and watched a cute Netflix show and ate grapes. It was a good day! Bailey and I started our run at around 7:30. It was so freaking hot, even though it was getting late. We ran the first three miles so fast, considering we had a total of 8 miles to run. I got so sick though. I felt like I was going to pass out. My legs weren’t tired, but my stomach felt like it was going to come out of my throat. So…Bailey and I almost decided to stop at 4 miles, but I told Bailey I would go as long as I could. So I did. I felt like CRAP, but it doesn’t matter. I thought to myself how easy this could happen on race day. I don’t feel good on a regular basis, so it could easily happen. So, I had to push through workouts like this. For some reason the heat has really been getting to me lately. But, we got it done. That’s all that matters.

Thursday: Got up in the AM and got ready to go BUY A CAR!!! My dad went with me, of course. I literally test drove so many different kinds of cars, and the Camry is my favorite. I feel like such a big girl! Dad took good care of me and Dan Cummins has awesome deals! So, I am a proud new owner is a 2014 white Toyota Camry! It will soon be dawned with a 26.2 sticker, a >26.2 sticker (after our race), a share the road license plate, and a Life is good plate! I swear its not tacky, I feel like a car should have a little sass.

Friday: This is one of the first runs Bailey and I have done separately. It was really hot again, so I did a quick 4 miler at the Y. I had been pretty busy doing some top secret stuff all day (I will share later, if it works out), so I didn’t get to run until around 4:00.

Mom wanted me to act like Vanna/my favorite emoji :)

Saturday: I took Saturday off. Not really on purpose, but the day got really busy, and I think my body needed it. So I took it.

Sunday: Bailey and I ended up doing around 6 miles at the rec park. This was our recovery week, so we didn’t stress about anything. Neither one of us felt the best, and that okay. We just talked and enjoyed talking.

Extras:

1. My Jeep sold! It is bitter sweet because I love that thing, but I also need a car with better gas mileage. We put it in our side yard on Sunday, and it was sold by Tuesday. Even though the women told us she wanted it on Sunday! Haha I swear we could sell anything in that spot!

2. I researched hydration packs for around 2 hours on Tuesday morning…because PRIORITIES! Haha Bailey and I have struggled with the best way to keep water with us during a run. A trail ultra is very different than a road marathon. There isn’t water stations every mile and people handing out food. You are climbing through mountains. You have to have fuel with you. Hydration packs are hard because they have to fit correctly, and they can get heavy when you pack them full of water/gu/food etc. I have been holding a hand held water bottle on most of our runs and I think I am going to get a belt in combination with that. We will see how it goes.

3. I had a super long conversation with my little brother about Passion. It is weird that in the world we live in today, we are made to feel crazy if you live your life with fire. I always love talking to him about lifting and life because we are knit from the same cloth of crazy. It gets me pumped up even talking about talking about it.

4. I got home the night I bought my car and my house kind of flooded from all of the rain. It was coming from my ceiling and I came home and had to use every towel in my house to get the water up.

5. I got a new car! Or at least new to me! I have been driving my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee since I was a senior in high school, and to be honest with you I loved that dang Jeep. Her name was Lulu and we have been through a lot together in life. I wouldn’t have gotten rid of her at all if I wasn’t driving so much, and I needed a car with really good gas mileage and one that was a little more reliable. So, after doing much research and test driving, I bought a 2014 White Toyota Camry, and her name is Indie!

6. On Saturday, Kel had to go to Warsaw to pick up some bills so we drove Indie and took a little road trip! She had need at camp all week and we haven’t gotten to hang out as much since she moved, so I was more than happy to catch up and drive my new car. New play lists are always a plus too.

7. I swear my dad just never stops. Ever. This week with all the storms he worked non-stop with over 70 people here from other states to help with the damage that was done. He spent all day with me when we bought my car, he spent the next day fixing the leak in my ceiling, and that afternoon mowing my huge lawn. Then he met me at the bank the next day to make sure all of my car loan stuff was going okay and countless other things throughout the week. I’m just thankful for him. He never makes me feel bad about how much he has to help me sometimes.

Training Diaries: Week 8