10 Miles on the Sag River Access Road

Well I enjoyed a two day rest.  I really didn't mean to take a two day rest but was not feeling well yesterday so dragged my one day rest into two.  Having a headache and swollen legs and ankles.  Don't know what caused it but a 10 mile run seemed to cure it, for now anyway.  It was a fantastic day today, 43 degrees and just a light wind, and bright sunshine.  Such a nice day on the North Slope. 

Now I need to go for a 15 mile run.  I'm behind where I want to be for a marathon coming up on October 17th. But I will keep pushing. Gotta speed up!

3 Miles

I must be in a lazy mood today.  I slept for 9 hours then after a couple of important phone calls it was getting kind of late for a good run.  But I did drive down the road to my favorite little trail about 5 miles to the south, and ran back and forth for 3 miles.  It was pretty windy and about 40 degrees.  I was running pretty slowly.  I wasn't able to push myself into running any faster than usual. But I was glad I did get in a short run anyway. I always feel better mentally when I run for at least 30 minutes. I need to get in a good long run by the end of this week though.

GPS Experiment

I answered my question!  I was wondering if the new Nike+ with GPS iPhone app would work if I tried to use it where there was no cell phone service.  To my delight, it works just fine.  I did a short 3 mile run, trying to push myself a little faster, 22 miles down the Dalton Highway by Caren Pond.  That is about 15 miles south of cell phone service, and it recorded my run just like it does in Deadhorse.
 
It was a nice day to run, but a little windy down there.  I just ran right on the Haul Road.  It's a nicer surface than running around Colleen Lake and is also a wider road.  Not much chance of the truckers complaining about me running out there.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  How nice to have several of them in the last week.

On the way back I saw the little red fox again.  He is very friendly and I was finally able to get a couple of cute photos of him.  I just love the foxes.  They are some of the cutest animals around, kind of like puppy dogs.

Colleen Lake Run

What a perfect day for a run around Colleen Lake.  It was cloudy but the perfect running temperature.  56 degrees, with just a light wind.  Just perfect for running with my light windbreaker.  It was muddy on the north side again, making my shoes gain weight for a while.  But otherwise it was really nice for running.  A couple of times I jumped off the road and ran on the tundra because of heavy equipment along the road.  But the tundra was actually a little firmer than the muddy road in those places.  I was happy that no one bothered me to tell me that I shouldn’t be running there.  It is a public road so no one can legitimately tell me that anyway.  I was also happy to see that my Nike+ with GPS was right on.  The distance was exactly what I found when I drove the route in the car.  I like how it showed a little map of my run.  My mother called in the middle of my run, and when the phone call came in, the program paused my run until I hung up the call, then it automatically resumed the workout.  Very cool technology.  With the more accurate measurement of my pace, I can monitor my progress more efficiently.

Now I just have to pick up the pace!
Satellite image of my run:

Beautiful Day

What a glorious day!  It felt more like Hawaii than Deadhorse.  I drove around for a while looking for wildlife and any other interesting photo subjects but didn’t fine much.

I am having a hard time picking up my running pace.  So today I just did a 3 mile run and ran as fast as I could push myself.  I was still pretty slow, but did pick up the pace a bit but am still much slower than I want to be.  I am assuming that my Nike+ with GPS is recording my time correctly.  My marathon times have been getting longer and longer when I feel they should be getting shorter and shorter if I am actually progressing.  So pushing myself with sprints will have to be my new focus.  Nice days like today do give me incentive.

I need to get signed up with another Team In Training event.  My next marathon is the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco on October 17^th but I am not doing that as a Team In Training run.  I like to always be fundraising.  It is still possible to donate to this important cause through my last event, the Prudhoe Bay to Palmer bike ride and Big Wild Life Marathon at Prudhoe to Palmer.

GO TEAM!

5 Miles Today

This was my first run with my new Nike+ with GPS.  How awesome!  It not only recorded my time and speed, but even the elevation.  On the Nike+ site it even shows my run on the map.  That is just amazing!

It was a really nice run too, although I was pretty slow.  I definitely need to pick up the pace somehow. 

I forgot to bring my camera, mainly because the weather was awful.  But on my way back to my hotel I saw a cute little red fox.  At least I did have my iPhone so got a picture from afar.  I guess I will always bring my camera from now on!

10 Miles on my Favorite Trail

It was 62 degrees and sunny today.  What a fabulous day to be outdoors!  For the first time that I can think of, I actually was able to run in only a T-shirt.  I felt pretty sluggish though.  I had hoped to run 15 miles but after 10.4 miles I decided to call it the end of the workout.  I guess I will have to call tomorrow a much needed rest day. 

I'm trying to do a better job of keeping my weight where it belongs.  I stopped eating breakfast when I get off work in the morning.  It seems the same as having dinner at midnight just before you go to bed.  I found I slept just fine on the empty stomach.  It annoys me that some people can manage to lose 200 pounds in a few months yet I can't take off a stupid 5 pounds in many months.  Just what kind of discipline to I have any way!  Food can be pretty tempting up here with an unlimited free supply down in the dining room of the Prudhoe Bay Hotel. 

I need a good long run soon.  I will try for 15 miles again in a day or two.