Sunday, October 22, 2006

Ten miles today - First since May

Training for my half this time around has been spotty at best. I really lost motivation in the hot, humid North Carolina summer and then had a lot of trouble getting back into the swing of things.

The first real long run of my abbreviated training cycle was supposed to be 9 miles last weekend, but an ankle sprain at the beach kept me off the roads for a few days. Determined to make sure I got in my long run this weekend, I planned things to allow myself a few hours on Sunday. I vaguely remember waking up sometime this morning, realizing it was raining, swearing, and going back to sleep. Hours later I finally made it outside.

This being my first real cold run of the year, I really wasn’t sure what to wear. Add the rain to that and I was worried – so worried that I overdressed. It was 55 degrees out and raining. I wore a pair of Doug’s gore-tex pants, a long-sleeved wicking shirt, and a vest. About two miles in the pants were starting to stick to my sweaty legs and my sleeves had been yanked up.

Overall the run was pretty uneventful. I didn’t see anything exciting, didn’t solve the world’s problems, and didn’t even see anything funny. On a cold, rainy day, there just isn’t that much to see. It did occur to me with about a mile left that maybe 10 miles is a little far to go without water, as my hamstrings and calves started cramping up. The thing is I had endurolyte capsules with me – but no water! Oh well, lesson learned…even when it’s cold, it’s best to have water for that distance.

Oh! There is one thing. I wore Doug’s Garmin even though I had mapped out the route before leaving. The Garmin says I ran 385.2 miles in 1:36:08 – apparently I’m the World’s Fastest Woman….

Thanks for reading.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

It's been a while

Most of the summer I haven't had much to say on here. I haven't really been running, and I haven't really be motivated to even think much about running. Nevertheless I have committed myself to another half marathon. On December 3rd, I will run the Nittany Valley Half. And hopefully I won't finish last.

Until then, though, I have one minor hurdle to get over. Ok, many hurdles, but one immediately. Friday night, shortly after arriving at the beach house rented for the week by my Aunt and Grandmother, I twisted my ankle walking down the stairs to move my car. I hadn't changed out of my work clothes, was still wearing my heels, and thought I had reached the last step when in fact, I had not. My right ankle is definitely sprained, but not too badly. I missed Saturday's 4-miler and today's 9-miler, but hope to get that 9 in tomorrow after work.

I'll try to check in more often...