Running Chick

I was determined to have a better running week, after the sour note the previous week ended on.

Monday (Aug 19), 5 @ 10:49

Zoe and I trucked down to Oskar Bay the 84 degree heat.  She’s getting a lot better with traffic, so we just need to slow down a bit when a car passes, rather than come to a complete stop.

Wednesday, 8 @ 10:30

I ran into town and Josh & Zoe picked me up.  I stopped once by the East Houghton Park to fill up my water bottle and watch a bunch of people doing CrossFit.  Man, these people were flipping gigantic tires around in the grass, hopping up on big boxes, doing pull-ups from trees – basically all sorts of stuff that looked very painful.  Everybody says it’s fun, but I’m not so sure.  I’m sure it’s one hell of a workout, though.

Thursday, 4 @ 10:34

Josh, Zoe and I headed out to the Nara trail.  I actually had five miles on the schedule but my legs were feeling a little sore from the previous night’s run, so when we hit four, I called it a day.  We usually stop every two miles or so to give Zoe water, which she drinks right out of the water bottle.  When we run on super hot days, I typically carry my four bottle belt and she gets two. 

Saturday, 13.1 @ 11:13

I had a short (ha) 13.1 miles on the schedule for Saturday.  It actually called for me to be running a race, but screw that. I used it as an opportunity to regain my confidence from the previous week.  It was a really nice run from Calumet to Hancock via the snowmobile trail.  The trail was actually pretty busy, I met lots of bikers and walkers. One other runner.  It’s nice to see it being used for non-motorized things.  Josh and Zoe were supposed to meet up with me at the 9 mile mark, but Zoe got wasn’t feeling well and they turned around one mile into their run so I ran solo.  Not to worry, though. I ended up stopping a few times to answer work-related text messages & phone calls.  I’m dedicated like that.

Monday (Aug 26), none

It was about a billion degrees on Monday. I had planned on waiting until the temp dropped to the upper 70s/lower 80s and then head out, but by the time it did it was dark outside.  I did feel like crap all day, so I wasn’t really too bothered by having to reschedule.

Tuesday, 5 @ 10:15

Josh, Zoe and I headed back to the Nara trail for five humid miles.

Wednesday, 5 @ 9:58

This one was fun.  Despite it still being hot, although not as hot as the prior day, I felt really good and strong.  That little donkey was standing right by the side of the road when I ran by, so I had to stop and take a picture of him.  I really wanted to go over and pet his ears.

Thursday, none

We arrived home to pouring rain, wind & thunder.  This was supposed to be my make-up run for Monday, and I hated to skip it, I didn’t really have a choice.  We ended up heading into the KBC for a friend’s birthday party and had a fun time meeting some new friends, so it all worked out.

Tomorrow

Well, that leads me to the end of the week and my last long run of the program. Tomorrow, I will be running 20 miles. Twenty. Two-Zero. As in, holy crap that’s a lot of miles.  I am a little bit freaked out about it.  My body has declared war on gels, so I’ve been taking fig bars with me, but this time I think I’m going to experiment with Larabars.  They have a better consistency (i.e. they’re not crumbly) and I can cut them up into 50 calorie chunks easier than the fig bars.  I also like that they’re made with real food, and not a bunch of chemicals that I can’t pronounce.

This time tomorrow, I’ll either be dead or sitting on a bar stool drinking a beer celebrating the start of my taper. I don’t know when I’ll be updating, so follow me on Instagram or Google+ Wish me luck!