Could these be chillbumps!

Finally, cool weather has kicked in. I couldn't wait for this Saturday to enjoy a long run without melting. The plan was to run 15 miles so we ran north on riverside way before the sun was up and headed north about 5 miles. We turned back around and got through that awful boring dead air area before 81st before the sun was all the way up. I really wanted to stop at a bathroom so we decided to take a field trip over to the casino. Now I have never been in a casino and I was all eyes when we went in. Slot machines everywhere, I mean hundreds of them and people were playing on them and it wasn't even 7:00! We were entertained by the winners' pictures, people who had won cars, one of them was particularly funny. We decided that the restaurant would be worth a try at some point. The restroom wasn't bad either. So back out on Riverside, we went over the Jenks bridge, waved at our Runner's World friends who were just finishing their 6 mile drop back run and we headed over past the aquarium and around Jenks. I was happy with my pace, I averaged 10:20 and didn't walk until the last couple of miles. I did stop too long at the water breaks though. I tried Honey Stingers for the first time and really liked them, good flavor and good energy. As we got closer to the end of our run, I dropped further back and as I came to 96th and Riverside, I wondered where the rest of my group went and suspected that they couldn't resist the Harvard hill. So I plodded on under Riverside and told myself that I would run up that hill. No worries, they went only to the bridge so I was safe. Yay! We ended up with 16 miles, I think they had 16.50 and it was a good run. I'm really stiff in my hips and getting antsy for fall marathons. We even began to plan for marathons we want to run in 2011.

The Storm that Passed Us By

My alarm went off at 4:15 and I groped around the house getting ready to leave. I had worked all night Thursday, read that as - worked from Thursday morning until Friday evening without sleeping and knew that this long run would be a struggle. Friday evening I could barely get my pizza eaten, lay out my running gear and drop into bed by 9:00. Because I am used to getting only 5 1/2 hrs. of sleep a night, I woke up at 2:30 and had difficulty going back to sleep. I ended up praying for a friend of mine who was grieving the recent loss of their adult child and dozed on and off until the alarm went off.

When I went out to the car, I was shocked to see raindrops and lightening in the sky. I debated about running but decided it would most likely pass over and headed out the Starbucks at 96th and Riverside. When I got there, Mary was checking the radar on her iphone and we decided to wait and let the storm pass. We didn't get any rain while we waited but we did see some lightening strikes.

We headed through Jenks at 5:30 and enjoyed a slight breeze and a little cooler temperatures. We did 5 miles through there and refreshed ourselves at Jenks Park. We headed out to the Creek to tackle some hills. The Harvard hill about did me in and then the one after it is like a slap in the face. The rest of the way to Yale isn't too bad and we stopped for some water and Gu. The route between Yale and Sheridan has a hefty hill and we plodded on to Memorial. Mary was running strong and I was really dogging it but I managed to keep running and I was grateful for that. At Memorial we visited with a cyclist who has run 28 marathons and had just done the Seattle marathon in June. He had run Chicago 3 times, Boston, New York and was running Big Sur.

The 3 1/2 miles back from Memorial wasn't too bad and my Garmin registered 12 as we completed the downhill part of the Harvard hill. Whew, I was glad that was over!

Since it was 8:30 we headed over to Riverside 5K to see Marv, Maryanne and Marolyn fiinsh and when we got there, they were already done. Maryanne had a PR and won her age group, Marv won his age group and Marolyn came in second, yea to you all for your results.

Next week-15 miles.

Quarter Marathon Report

I was wondering why we signed up for the "Double," both the quarter marathon and the 5K. I haven't been running well in the heat and hated to waste a race because of my lack of motivation. Saturday morning welcomed us with cloudy skies and raindrops at the end of the race. I won't say I "raced" but I put out a good effort and felt better about running than I have in awhile. I loved hearing Jack Wing make annoucements, what an inspiration he is and I'm so glad he's experiencing better health now. There was a great turnout for both races. I did ok for the 5K, at least finished under 30 min., which is a far cry for my PR, then I slowed down for the quarter and walked a couple of hills. I got to see the new medals for the Route 66 Marathon, they're really cool looking and they spin. http://www.route66marathon.com/latest-route-66-marathon-news/2010-williams-route-66-marathon-medals-revealed.html

This heat has been messing with my mind and I've been questioning my readiness for fall marathons. I still don't feel fresh but I cannot wait until the temperature drops 10 degrees and I can see how hard I push myself. We have 2 marathons scheduled for this fall, Outer Banks and St. Judes. Outer Banks should be easy because we are not going for a PR, we are supporting another runner. St. Judes should be a good marathon, others have told me they PR'd there. I still need to find a third marathon if I want to get my maniac status but I'm not sure I want to do that many.

Next week looks like it will be another suffocating time. Not much longer and I will be enjoying 70s, I can hardly wait. I remember when we were freezing last winter, sleet pelting our faces while we ran across the 71st street bridge. Hot and cold are equally unbearable and dangerous. I've been dehydrated this summer and played slip and slide on the ice in the winter. That's why I'm looking forward to the pleasureable fall weather.

I did take advantage of tax free weekend and got a new pair of running shoes. I have been wearing Adidas Supernova Classic for 2 years now and they have a new model Supernova Adapt, which has a very high arch, great for me. I tried on several other brands and ended up with the Brooks Adrenaline. http://www.brooksrunning.com/product/1200641B/123212/Adrenaline%20GTS%2010 They seemed more stable for me and I'll give them a trial run on Tuesday.