Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Ommmmmm.

This was my route for the last week. All I had to do was lace up my shoes, strap on my Garmin, and find out where that road took me. Mountains in the distance, a huge lake to the side; turtles, groundhogs, even a bear, oh my! A girl could get used to runs like that.

(Okay, so maybe the bear was really a dog. But a big, scary, bear-like dog nevertheless.)

Tomorrow: Race Day!

Vacation Miles: 10

Total Miles: 86

Only the Lonely

With Running Partner out of town and Running Neighbor not interested in a 7-miler, today I was on my own. At first it was great. We're getting reading to go on vacation and I did a mental check of my packing list. I envisioned myself putting specific items in the suitcases, hoping the imagery might possibly prevent me from forgetting something crucial, like a bathing suit or my son. When that got old I sang the first verse of Best of Both Worlds again and again (Hannah Montana version not Van Halen--that's just where I am in life). But then even that got old too. Hard to imagine, I know.

I found myself thinking about RP and wondering what she was doing. I tried to guess what RN and I would be talking about if she were with me. I came to the sad realization that I was, in fact, lonely. And I still had 3.92 miles to go--not that I was obsessing or anything. Alas, with stiff upper lip, I ran on.

The cosmos must have been watching poor little Runner Girl, however, because a sweet gift was waiting just a short mile later. While running past a line of cars waiting at a stop light, Runner Girl heard her name being called exuberantly. She turned and saw Long Lost College Friend! Oh smiley, splendid pick-me-up! No time or opportunity to stop and chat, but it wasn't needed. Just seeing LLCF was the fuel needed to carry on, chin up, head high, happy run home.


Today's Miles: 7
Total Miles: 76

The Road Less Traveled

Woohoo! Another benefit of a running partner: you learn new running routes. Yesterday's post was almost about having to run the same darn roads over and over (and over and over) again. I'm seriously in a rut here, folks. Yesterday, however, I saw Running Neighbor outside and she said she would plan today's route. Just be at house at her 6:30.

So this morning I set out, GU'd up of course, at 6:15 not 6:30--she's not going to catch me with that one again--and the darn woman was already waiting at the bend between our two houses! I mean I'm all for enthusiasm and what not, just not that early. I save my enthusiasm for the more genteel 9 o'clock hour.

As we started running, her exuberant, me along for the ride, I quickly realized she must be some kind of genius. How else can you explain the simultaneous abilities of raising three kids AND remembering there are four points on a compass? When she turned left at the top of our street, I about fell over. Holy moly! I thought. She's turning left! What a renegade! We're going into totally unchartered territory! I've been more of a north, south, and east girl myself but I have to say, after this morning, west side represent fo' sho'!

Not to mention, I didn't have any trouble keeping up with Sister Speed today. (Do I have to admit she did her long run last night and I had fresh legs?)

Todays' run: 3 miles on the West side.


Today's Miles: 3
Total Miles: 69

Running on Empty

Blork, my own hard-headedness even drives me nuts sometimes. For instance, I know that I absolutely can not run well on an empty stomach. It's a tried and true fact. Yet this morning I downed nothing more than a few quick sips of water and headed out the door. Stupid, stupid, stupid. A large part of the training process is learning what works and what doesn't, right? Like an 18-wheel semi with the needle on "E" I chugged, sputtered, and basically conked out at about two miles. Diligent (masochistic?) trainer that I am, I continued on though and ran the final mile to get today's required three done. I have to say it wasn't purty.

So why did I go out empty? The problem is that when I run before breakfast time, the only thing I can stomach is some GU. There are two issues with that:

1.) It's GU. I mean, goo. Literally goo. Yuck. And at 6 a.m.--double yuck.

2.) As soon as I reach for a packet, an annoying, niggling voice in my head starts squawking, "That's 100 calories of nothingness! You can go ahead and discount that first mile because you need it just to break even now. Buck up, lady, get out there! GU for three miles?!? C'mon. You are SO not hardcore."

Ah well, I guess it's time to officially hang-up my dreams of being hardcore and settle instead for being secure in the knowledge of my own body's needs. As non-hardcore as they may make me. Not too bad a trade-off in the end, I guess.


Today's Miles: 3
Total Miles: 66

Speed Racer

When Running Neighbor (not to be confused with Runner Neighbor from a few posts back--confusing I know, just do your best) said she wanted to join me for my Tuesday/Thursday runs, I was elated. One thing I've come to know about myself is that I really like a running buddy. We discussed a route, made plans to meet at 6:30, and cheerfully bid farewell 'til the morrow. Sunshine and roses. La, la, la.

Then it hit me in a roaring thunder. I'd just made a deal with the devil. The speed devil that is. Her pace on a recent ten-mile race was blinking in my head, illuminated like the signs of Vegas: 7 minutes per mile. Eeeks! Egad! Holy Cow! How could I get out of it? Which runlet could I claim was sick? Oh, too much bad karma, can't blame the runlets. Crap, crap, super crap. I was stuck.

So, Running Neighbor showed up at 6:15--yes, 15 minutes early, not a good sign--and we set off. This hurts, I thought, but I'm not dying. A half-mile later I realized, Hey, I can breathe! I struggled to talk, but talk I did. Then as we were approaching a monster hill, RN said "Ugh, this hill coming up is a doozy. I always struggle with it." Do tell! Game on, sister. Let's rock that hill! And rock it we did. In fact, we rocked the entire 3 miles. When we got home I thanked RN for a good run and good company and told her I was looking forward to Thursday. In turn, she said she enjoyed it and was grateful I talked the whole time because it made the time pass quickly. I hate to tell her but it was her legs and not my mouth that made it go by so fast.

Today's run: My fastest 3-miler in a looooong time, possibly to date.


Today's Miles: 3
Total Miles: 63

Happy Trails

With it being Father's Day and all I decided to do my first official cross-training session at the local park where Running Boy chose to have a lunchtime picnic. While he and the runlets played with some new wiffleball gear, I went about my business. The park is home to a quarter-mile long, intensely steep hill, which I hear Ravens superstar Ray Lewis uses for training. Hmmmm? Do tell, I thought. Okay hill, let's see what you've got.

Well, I don't know what the hill has but I know what I don't have: Ray Lewis' mojo. Ah well, I wasn't really supposed to run today anyway. Sixty minutes of true cross-training (read "walking") successfully done.



Today's Miles: 0
Total Miles: 60

To Tell the Truth

I think I finally get it. I finally understand what makes a running partner so sacred, why it is a bond to be treasured and cherished. At first I used to think it was because you had someone to hold you accountable. What decent person could stay in bed after the alarm goes off knowing there is a living, breathing person, in running shorts no less, waiting for her down the street? I figured the main purpose of a running partner was to get you out the door, even on days you don't want to run, and to make sure you stick to your training schedule, come hell or high water.

Oh, but a good RP is so much more. You see, after a certain number of miles the facade starts to chip away. The facade that we all have in public; the mask that keeps us smiling when we're seething or saying "That's a lovely color for you" when we really mean "Dear God, that dress makes you look like a cow." I mean, a person can only be polite for so long before some nugget of jaded sarcasm escapes. And once there's a chink in the armour--look out, baby. When RP announced today "I'm about to say something that you never thought you'd hear me say and something I would never utter aloud to another human being," I couldn't help but let out an excited whoop! So this is what it's really about, I thought. The true benefit of a running partner: not only are you stripped to your core physically as you log mile after mile but there's an emotional rawness and honesty that comes with it as well. And, honey, when your RP is a gal like mine, that emotional aspect can be a hoot!

By the way, I'm taking her words to my grave so don't even bother to ask.


Today's Miles: 6
Total Miles: 60