Happy Camper
Hola! My week in a nutshell:
The lovely friends whose ceremony I was privileged to perform last Saturday.
Feel the burn.
Improving my skill set!
Double Trouble!
Best 25 years ever!
Determination: The feeling you get right before you try something incredibly stupid.
Go Pam and Go Jellyfish!
Running on the island was tough! Started around 7:00AM each day. Heat, humidity and sun were very strong. At least the ground was flat and the breeze was going good. Could only last for an hour or so each day. Beautiful country, beautiful place to run!
Made it out for 10-miles late this morning! It's been a week of heat training. I'll go longer tomorrow. Next weekend will be my one and only longrun and then a mild taper. The injury and the recovery from the injury will make this an interesting attempt on Labor Day.
Bugs
Lots to catch up on..not sure I got it all right.
Pam, you're not feeling good, but have a 100 mile race this weekend? Well if it's only 100 miles... Hope you're feeling better and the cold/sore throat is zapped by race day.
Jelly, good luck to you. What consecutive number marathon is this?
Erika, good luck on half. I was reading Swimming to Antartica by Lynn Cox, great book for any endurance athlete and it talked about the swim in the Bering Strait and how close Alaska is to Russia. Sounded beautiful but too dam cold.
PDR, Very nice pictures. Enjoy the vacation, it's a lot more exotic than the fishing vacation I'm on now.
Still up north, the roads here are nice rolling hills and I'm running very strong. I'm toying with the idea of asking DH permission to run a November marathon. That would make it easier for me to run some of my favorite shorter races and then just veg over christmas.
Glad to see Bugs check in and she's running well! You sound much better, spirit-wise. Hope you're feeling good and DH says Yes!
Good luck to Paul for his longest run ever next weekend. Take water!
Cash, I think most dogs will slow their runner down. It seems the really exceptional running dogs are not the average dog. How've you been lately, anyway?
Bryan, cool pictures! Looks like you're having fun on vacay... where are you?
Kimmie, sorry about the cold. I hate being sick. In the last year I was sick twice: 4th of July weekend and Christmas (2007). Summer colds are the worst thing. Hope you (and Pam) can kick it early.
My race today sucked. I didn't want to do it from the start. Almost turned around and drove home. But I did it and it's done. I really don't like this course. Had a hard time with footing, mud was slick, the gravel was so uneven and big rocks hurt my foot and I turned my ankle twice. Went off course, too. What else could go wrong? Just before mile 10 I saw a bunch of runners coming back at me, saying "we missed a turn!" So I stopped and thought, this is just great. Having a carpy day and now this. Oh well. We found the missed turn and continued on, but my heart really wasn't in it now. I walked thru water stops. Couldn't find my Gu (found it later on the ground outside my car door!) Took about 3 30 second walk breaks on some gravelly parts. Ended up with 1:51:52 (but that's for 16.6 miles), 8:13 avg pace (bleh). Still, the two faster chicks in my AG were not there, so I got first in AG and there was a pretty good barbecue afterwards (no beer). All in all, I'm glad that's done. (oh, I get to report humidity! We ran in thick fog, couldn't see more than quarter to half mile ahead, 98% humidity and 55F at the start)
Where are you Bryan? Looks really nice there!
We ran on the C&O Canal tow path. Nice and flat and shady. It was quite warm today so we needed the shade and flatness
20.2 miles, 3:05:39, 9:11/mi, AHR 150 (77% MHR)
Lou, (aka Mr. predawnrunner), MD, USA | Lou's Brews | lking@pobox.com
I decided not to run that race this morning. not feeling too badly, but decided to be cautious.
First time I think I've ever taken the more cautious route instead of running a race I had planned on running.
Sorry to hear you were frustrated by your race, Erika. I still think that's an awesome time.
Nice run Lou! I love the C & O canal, though I don't run there that often.
Great pictures, too, Bryan!
And Bugs, I say you should do it but I have no idea how that would affect your time.
No running today- going on day 3... will run easy tomorrow.
20.1-miles at crap pace. Slowest road 20 I've done in 2 years. It was 84oF when I finished and I lost over 6 lbs despite finishing off over 1/2 gallon of water during the run. AVG HR was 134. Good things were I didn't feel the injury and I still have time to get another one in.
Congratulations to Pam and Shan!
Lou and Erika: The pictures were from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We got back home Friday. Had a very good time for 4 nights and 5 days.
Bugs: I don't think the 5k would mess up your time in the 1/2 doing it that way. I think you could still have good 1/2 time if the Family allows you to get off your feet and rest afterwards. Ice bath would help alot too. Have fun with it! Kind of a mini - Dakota Goofy Challenge.
Oh Mighty Wing
Hey guys!! I need steak so I'll catch up later... but
I ran Drake Well in Titusville, PA. It was not the easiest course...
mile 1-8 hills - big ones. steep up, screaming down.
mile 10-25 bike path - out and back
25.5 - grass - crap!
then on a track.
First half = 2hours
Mile 18 = on pace for 4:30 - maybe. By this point I was convinced I was done running... never doing it again...all out of Jelly... but then I realized that this is where my heart lies and my passion and my soul. It is the thing I am dedicated to above ALL else.
Finish time = 4:10:high... it hurt, I had to gut it out, I could NOT sprint the last lap around the track - first time EVER... I left it all out there, but I walked away knowing that my desire is deeper than any pain and that NO ONE and NO RACE can take MY JELLY!!!!!
Hope everyone is having a GREAT weekend!
Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson
Erika,
Boy I wish I had a few bad races like that. I think you did great.
Kim,
Good call. Sometimes it's better to save it for a better day.
P2R,
Very nice 20 in very hot conditions. Don't know I could have done that.
Pam,
Wow, you are amazing. I get tired driving that far. Can't wait to hear the details.
JellyF,
Awesome!! That one sounds hard, with a few weird twists.
I've got DH warmed up to the fall marathon idea. And I will do the go far at fargo challenge. It's a cool marketing idea to get more runners. I confess, I like the metals hanging in my exercise room.
Legs were really sore today so I just ran 3.5 miles easy. Last night I did laps in the pool and then DH and I would sprint for the ball the kids would throw. Well it did me in today. Hoping to run long tomorrow. My last big long run before ragnar relay so what day it is on doesn't really matter.