Notes
COMMENTS: Run in MS - To Karen Mohr and Jeff Blair/r======================/rThought you might enjoy another MS running story./r/rDue to time at the hosital with Mom, I was chose not run all week up to today. It is true time could of been made for a few miles here and there. Mom and Dad actually encouraged me to run however I'm getting soft and the runs would of been hard./r/rThe route had been planned in advance, running down the middle of Highway 49. Quite possibly a once in a decade opportunity. Highway 49 is the equivalent of the 405 within Los Angeles. It is the main artery of traffic from the coast to anywhere north, a four lane(2xSouth, 2xnorth) passage. Most everything seems to be 'just off 49'. The State has been upgrading portions of this highway for better traffic flow should a evacution need to happen due to a hurricane. There was a 5 mile Southbound section closed, it has already been re-graded and paved with the finishing touchs being added./r/rThe plan was to begin at Mom and Dad's, run to Red Creek(i.e. through and down it) to Highway 49, catch the closed section going South. With aid stations being Exxon and Texaco there would be plenty of support for purchase. Beginning at ~1130(think heat-training) the route would be through the hottest part of the day. You know the saying, 'One pair of shoes, one bottle, one P&J and one pack of Gu', maybe not but it sounded good and seems to encompass my current training methodology or stupidity./r/rDuring the run my lower legs(below the knee) and ankles began to seize and constrict. Couldn't run/jog and was reduced to a walk. Clothes and body covered in sweat. Bottle of water empty and was really really thirsty. Felt like everything had an extra 10 pounds of weight with 20 on my chest(lungs). The air was thick, the sun was bright, shade was sparse. Down for the count. A mere three miles covered and another 15-16 to go! Soon enough Red Creek arrived and the sweetness of cool water covered my body. Is this what Heaven is suppose to feel like? No need to answer but where were the naked girls./r/rWithin another 1/2 hour the Exxon aid station appeared and it was time to replenish the bottle. This gas station, located on Hwy 49, is also the beginning of hwy construction. Crossing the northbound lane and another ~1/4 mile of Southbound placed me on the closed section and 10 miles(out and back) of running the middle of a 2 lane highway. Of course, this was the hottest part of the day with utterly no shade. If I said MS was flat, I lied, there are hills. Ever notice why there are no steep climbs on interstates, that is because the are graded over 1/2-1mile sections. Instead of a quick steep climb there were numerous longer slow and steady miserable up sections followed by miserable down sections. The up feels up, the down feels flat. Began to think it was like running the St George backwards./r/rThe Texaco aid station was a welcomed stop that provided ice, water and M&M's. Sat in the shaded front with a few highway workers resting and cooling off. The highway workers, this is not racist but an obvious fact, are generally under educated younger(20's) black men that spend most of their time working in the hot sun. Grading, picking up trash and general road preparation. Their 'bosses' are typical older white men riding in new air conditioned trucks, talking on cell phones, reviewing plans and making sure everyone else is working./r/rDuring the return trip I was stopped twice by highway workers. Need I say, these are good men doing hard work at little pay. They are 'nice' although that does not properly describe their character and demeanor. The first was by himself with backhoe and was walking around picking up tree limbs. He was as big as a Mac Truck with biceps larger than my thighs. He reminded me of the prisoner in 'The Green Mile', really big but kind(again not the word I was looking for). Told me about his workout routine, obiviously alot of weights but also walked and cycled on Sundays his only day off. He was very much into his health and beefing up./r/rThe second were two guys, they had a old pickup and seemed to have the job of digging out the drains that had become clogged with mud. Very likeable and talkative, one is already on high blood pressure medication and wanted my advice on healthy eating. He started this job a couple of days ago and was looking forward to the physical activity in getting his weight and BP back in check. The other and more senior within the pecking order as he had the truck keys did push-ups during the work-day. 'I'll lay a fence or dig a drain and do push-ups b'fore and after, gotta keep in shape'. They let me fill my bottle from their cooler and quickly picked up their shovels after seeing a new pickup driving their way('Da Boss Man')./r/rStopping again at Exxon and through Red Creek that by now had a mother with 5 kids enjoying the simple pleasures of the water, Mom/Dad's house was soon just down a little dirt road./r/rInterestingly enough not sure if it was the heat, lack of humidity training or ??? but ~1/2hr after the run finished I got very lightheaded with a cold sweat. So much so I had to lay down. Took Succeed, Gaterade and water during the run and kept it very slow but...../r/rThat's the story, maybe one day we can do a MS Club run./r/rDennis