How did I even finish?

I don't actually know how I even finished this run. Weight class this morning was brutal, and I'm not sure that I could even feel my legs for most of the run. Plus, it's hot. Hot, hot, hot! And, I'm tired. I slept like crap last night. In spite of all that, I had a good pace. OK - enough whining. Stats: 3.14 miles in 32:52 for a 10:29mpm pace

hot dog - literally

Oh, I just did NOT have it in me yesterday. I slept in. I think that the weekend finally caught up with me. Today's run started out fast enough, but about halfway through, Sadie realized that she was roasting and that boundless energy wasn't working out for her. She ssslllloooooowwwwed way down. She was really hot. It was really hot. I probably shouldn't have taken her out in the first place. So, we stopped at many sprinklers. She wouldn't drink, but I splashed water on her. I finally convinced her to just lay IN the sprinklers. When we got home, I hosed her off with cold water to help with her cool down. After we had completed 2/3 of the course, there was a quarter mile section where we just walked. After that, I felt like I was almost dragging her. She's so out of shape! I was going to take Lizzy out for a quick loop in the cemetary, but by the time Sadie and I got home, it was over 75*. Not worth it. I think that Liz is mad at me now... Stats: 5.38 miles in 1:02:00 for an 11:32mpm pace

first run post festival

I haven't run since last Wednesday. I have been up to my eyeballs in arts festival stuff. Marking the park, setting up, going non-stop all three festival days, tear down, and then a trip to the zoo to thank the boys for letting me be gone for so long! It was a great/crazy event, and I can't wait until next year! As for running over the weekend, no-freakin-way did I have the energy for that. I was in bed at 11:30pm and up at 5:30am each day, and on my feet the entire time. If that weren't enough, the 30, 40, 50mph winds and 100* temps would have put me over the edge. So, today's run was welcome, and surprisingly good. I thought that my legs would be complete crap, but they weren't too bad. We didn't push it, but we didn't slack off, either. Stats: 3.1 miles in 34:29 for an 11:08mpm pace

a long run before the festival

I would have gotten another 1/10th of a mile in, but I really had to potty. It is what it is. I've missed long runs for the last couple of weeks, so this run got a bit tiresome towards the end. With the arts festival going on this weekend, I knew that I woudln't get a long run in again, so I knew that I would need to get it done this morning. Plus, it's going to be really hot this weekend, so today was the best opportunity all around. I basically did a tour of the city. I only saw one other runner out which surprised me. Stats: 9.92 miles in 1:45:24 for a 10:38mpm pace

non-stop

For this run, I managed to avoid every opportunity to stop. Instead of stop lights, I would turn and run a new street. Instead of traffic, I would jay-walk! (oops) I added an extra 1/2 mile to my normal after-class run. Class was pretty difficult this morning with a lot of planks, but we all pushed through. Perhaps a long run tomorrow? Stats: 3.53 miles in 34:37 for a 9:49mpm pace

Now, THESE are hills!

I let a co-worker and work-out buddy talk me into this as a preparation for Tough Mudder coming up in October. He promised steep and difficult climbs. He was NOT kidding. We drove to the trailhead and started out walking through the scrub oak. We ran a bit of uphill trail before the roller coasters started. (Carol wisely backed out when she saw the first hill because the tread on her shoes wasn't great, and she has oodles of races planned this summer. To fall and get hurt would be a huge waste of money - not to mention the getting hurt part. She ran the paved hills below us.) We "sprinted" up the first hill. When I say "sprinted," I mean that MW sprinted and I struggled. I made it halfway up the hill before I had to walk. These were seriously steep. At the top, he barfed and fought waves of nausea. Finally, he convinced me to go on ahead. I did three more of these hills. There was a lot of walking involved. I looked at the last one and said HELL NO. I met up with MW on the way back. We had to gingerly walk what were now the downhills because they were so steep. He was right. This was a good climbing workout. We're going to do it again a few times before the TM race. We'll run some other hills in other places between now and then. I would love to take the boys there sometime! Stats: 2.48 miles in 35:44 for a 14:25mpm pace

non-stop

This was a pretty good run - but lonely. Carol and her hubby, GB, are off camping, so I headed off for our typical after-weight-class run. It was a really nice morning, and it only got hot towards the end of the run. I didn't have to stop for traffic at any time which also means that I didn't have any good excuses for walk breaks or standing-at-the-light breaks. I'm happy with my time, but I would have liked it to be just a smidge faster. (OK - truly, never satisfied, am I?) Stats: 3.1 miles in 30:19 for a 9:47mpm pace