Hot & Humid 10-miler August 23, 2008

Just finished my first 10-miler in about two years.  I started at 6 a.m. from the church parking lot.  I planned to run 6 miles and then meet up with three other friends to do four miles – and church was close to our meeting spot.

The first mile on the dark, lamplit street was wonderful.  So still and so quiet.  But when I turned north, the slight breeze that had been whisking away the sweat suddenly stopped – it was blowing north as well.  And the overpowering humidity hit me.

At about mile 3, I checked my watch and realized I needed to pick up the pace if I wanted to meet the girls at mile 6.  So I did.  Thankfully, it coincided with a turn south and the breeze was back in my face.

The four miles with the girls went so fast.  Good company makes such a big difference!  By the time we got back to Shelly’s house, I only had a half mile left to get back to my car.  I grabbed the gatorade I had stashed there and the run was done.

Besides the sweltering heat and humidity, the run was noneventful.  And I’m very happy to have it done with for the day and its only 8 a.m.!  Plus, I feel confident the half marathon will be no problem…at least to finish!

On the Way Up – 9 miles August 16, 2008

This morning I continued my half-marathon training w/my longest run in a year.  I headed out around 6:15 a.m.  My plan was to get the majority of my run done before the sun came up strong.  It was dark and cool when I left the house.  In fact, so cool that I was afraid my shorts and t-shirt might’ve been a poor choice.

The run itself was fairly uneventful.  It was a beautiful morning though – so I enjoyed the scenery immensely.  I ran north, out into the country.  The soybeans and the corn stood tall and seemed picturesque.  The midwest at its best in late summer.

At one point, I ran out of bike path and had to run down a semi-busy country road.  There is a nice shoulder, so I wasn’t worried.  But I had a woman in a Pontiac Vibe fly by me so fast, I felt like I could’ve gone tumbling down the road in the wash of jet stream.  Crazy broad.

The last third of the run was tough.  I was getting tired.  My bones ached.  And I had to go the bathroom rather badly.  I wasn’t in an emergency situation, but it was uncomfortable enough that it was about I all I thought about – how to keep my backside squeezed together and still run fast to get home to the bathroom.

When I got home, I was pleased to see that the 9 mile run took me 90 minutes.  10 min miles.  Not particularly fast, but I felt like I ran it rather slow.  So it was encouraging to think I’d be able to be doing 9ish min miles in the marathon in a few weeks.