Mud Run!!

What a GREAT way to run a 10K. No watch. No Garmin. Just a WHOLE LOTTA MUD.

Before (look how bright and clean we are):

After (not so much):

Pros:
*Fun, Fun, Fun!

*Running with a team of friends is the BEST!*The mood of the race was super upbeat. It wasn't competitive at all. People helped each other up out of the slop, pushing them over a mud berm, etc.

*The 10K ran the loop twice, so we got to do the fun stuff a second time.

*It didn't start until 1 p.m. so I didn't have to get up early or go out in the dark.

*It was a very well organized race. All five race starts (5K individual, 5K team, 10K individual, 10K team, and Kids' Mini Mud Run) were on time. Bag check and pickup were very easy. There were a ton of smiley volunteers and more than enough water stations. There were plenty of showers and changing tents.

*The weather was perfect for running.

*Fun, Fun, Fun

Cons:

*There was a KILLER hill over 500 feet. It was VERY steep. I only saw one guy run most of it. The rest of us hiked it. I think it was steeper than Cowles Mt, which is 1500 feet over 1.5 miles.

*Because the 10K did two loops, we had to make it up that hill twice.

*Mud does not taste good, nor does it feel good in your eyes.

*We didn't run quite fast enough to finish before the Mini Mud run began for the kids. Dodging pint-size runners climbing up a wall and charging through the final mud pit was interesting, to say the least.

*While the weather was great running weather, it was a bit chilly after we were done. Showering off in COLD showers was NOT fun, fun, fun.

This is Kathleen and I running out of the mud pit.

I had face-planted earlier and was covered. I remember opening my arms at the hose guy to get some of it off before we hit the hay bales and the hill, but I don't look like I am being sprayed with water in this picture.

Here we are making sure that we had our entire team. We never left an area without everyone.

Here are some random people that Kenny captured in photos. It shows just how muddy and deep some of the mud pits were.

This guy was in a full suit! I felt 20 pounds heavier in the mud pits and I only had on shorts and a tank top. This guy is hard core!!

Here we are after our COLD showers. Believe me, there is still a ton of mud in my hair in this picture. Check behind us... that is a pile of shoes--hundreds of pairs. They are all the discarded shoes that will be donated along with shirts, socks etc.

If you have never done anything like this, I highly recommend it. It is just good, clean (well, not so clean) fun!

Getting ready to get MUDDY!

My friends and I are running in the San Diego Mud Run this afternoon. It isn't the famous Camp Pendleton Mud Run, but I am pretty sure it will be just as muddy and just as fun. This is a fall back week in our training, and we are scheduled to run seven. A raucus 10K with a killer hill should do just fine.

I am still a little sore from my tempo run on Thursday. I ran four fast miles with a warm up and cool down (that we did much too fast). Laura and I met up at Lake Murray. It was a happy coincidence, since we didn't plan to meet up there. We ran our first mile together and then she took off for the tempo miles. Our schedule says to run the tempo miles at 8:25. I am pretty sure that Laura ran them under 8:00!! I didn't run as fast, but I ran faster than the recommended (I think I was being a bit competitive). It was really hard and I was SO happy when I finished the four miles and could slow down.

Here are my splits:
mile 1- 9:10 (not much of a warm up, is it... I really need to work on that)
mile 2- 8:07
mile 3- 8:12
mile 4- 8:13
mile 5- 8:06
mile 6- 9:08 (hmmm....not much of a cool down either.)

Garmin does show that I jogged at a 10:30 pace for a minute and a half during the last mile before speeding up again. It is nice to see that I can recover quickly. A couple of those mile were nearly as fast as my speed intervals. The cool thing is that my "recovery" pace is my [optimal] race pace for the marathon!

Now I am off to find some old running shoes and grubby clothes for the Mud Run.

in lieu of a recovery run...

Kenny and I went on another mountain bike ride today. We dropped the kids off at preschool and went out to Sycamore Canyon just north of here, between Santee and Poway. It was a nice eleven mile ride. It wasn't too technical or difficult, but it was enough to give me a good workout and keep me on my toes.

I was supposed to have a short recovery run today. I preferred this. It got the stiffness out of my overworked quads and calves while giving my body a rest from the pounding. It was also a time to spend with my husband where we didn't feel stressed out at all.

A nice mid-week ride into the canyons is good for the soul. I suppose there are some benefits to unemployment.

Twenty miles: check!

I can't believe I ran twenty miles on Sunday. It didn't seem quite as monumental as last year's twenty miler. When I stop and think about it, however, it is pretty cool. I don't know many people who have run that far in a single outing.

Several people have commented how early it is to be running that far. We are using a training program based upon the Runner's World Smart Coach. We run twenty miles three times. When I saw this schedule I really liked it. We build up to twenty and then have a "fall back" week and then run sixteen followed by twenty again. I think with the weeks of lower mileage long runs, we'll avoid burnout and/or injury. Doing twenty three times will really help build my confidence.

We met around 6:30 by the bay. We ran a familiar route, but started in a different spot on the opposite side of the bay. It was a nice change. My plan was to keep it around 9:45, but when we were running closer to 9:30 it felt pretty comfortable.

The trouble (or potential trouble) came at mile 12. We met Laura's father and his running group. Her dad has been running for 40 years or more. He has run a sub-three hour marathon. One of the girls in the group is training for Boston, having qualified with a 3:36, I think. Some of the others run 3:15 marathons. Get the picture? And we were going to run eight miles with these people? They were gregarious and fun. As we took off with them, I was having fun listening to the bantering. I was the brunt of several jokes at my hydration belt, iPod and Garmin*. These runners are purists and my gadget penchant goes against the old school way of running. It was all in good fun though. It was easy to run at their pace while everyone was talking and laughing. It was clear that this was a very easy pace for them.

As we hit mile 13, my Garmin beeped with the split time and I realized that I was going down a dangerous road. We ran that mile in 8:45!!! I still had seven miles to go. I knew that I needed to slow down. As I did so, I received a bit more good-natured ribbing. Even as I fell behind, mile 14 was run at 9:05, which is still faster than I need to be running with six miles to go. I finally bid my farewell and told everyone that I needed to run my own run. "Go on without me," I told Laura and the others. I knew I would be fine.

At mile 16, Laura ran back and found me. She realized that keeping up with her dad was not the best idea. She was starting to feel it a bit. We decided to run back to our cars instead of staying with the group. As we crossed the river and started heading back along the bay, we hit a killer headwind. The storm that was supposed to have hit overnight was coming in. A headwind is not the most fun thing in the world during the last couple of miles of a twenty mile run.

Laura had been pulling ahead of me all day. Her natural pace is a bit faster. At the last mile, she started slowing a bit. I knew she was starting to hurt. It turns out that she was starting to feel pretty nauseous. She ended her run before I did, having run a bit further with her dad. I knew that I was almost done and pushed on. At this point, my legs were really hurting***and I just put my head down and ran toward the end. I did that last mile in 9:36.

As we stretched and cooled down, the rain started. Talk about timing! Our entire run was cool and dry- perfect running weather. The rain would have made it pretty miserable. Other than my legs hurting all over, I felt pretty good. Afterward, I tried my first ice bath. Well... it was the chicken version of an ice bath. I only used one plastic grocery sack full of ice and I went in wearing my running tights. Hopefully, it did some good. Maybe someday I'll work my way up to a full-blown ice bath.

I still can't really believe that twenty miles was a bit uneventful. I am a little sore today, but nothing too bad. Overall, I averaged a 9:26 pace. It is a bit faster than I had planned, but I don't think the faster pace hurt anything this time. I think I could have run six more at that pace, which would be a 4:07 (not including a couple of stops). I'd be THRILLED with that. I still have ten weeks to go, so we'll see.

That's my long and rambling run report. Happy running, everyone.


*I heard comments like "you'd keep up if you didn't have so much stuff weighing you down" or "Bob used to carry water before he tore his hamstring."
***Kenny and I had gone with some friends on a pretty tough mountain bike ride the day before. Not only were my quads sore from some heavy-duty climbing, but I had several bruises from some interesting falls.

thank goodness for small miracles!!

Yes... my husband is out of the doghouse because he FOUND MY GARMIN!! In all fairness, it belongs to both of us, but I still consider it MINE. He used our metal detector* and went down in the canyon this morning and found it! He had been digging out a trail/jump last night when it fell off** and he inadvertently covered it with dirt. <> It seems to be fine (just a little scratch on the face). I tested it out front and it uploaded ok. PHEW!! I am so relieved.

I just have to give a shout out to my awesome dad. I haven't written a lot about him, surprisingly, since my love of running obviously came from him. But I digress... my dad called today and told me that he read my blog and facebook status and offered to buy me a new Garmin for my birthday. So, so, so thoughtful!! He is already sponsoring my marathon in May. So, thanks, Dad, for being such a huge support of my running!! It means so much that you follow my blog and are so supportive! I love you!! ***

I am in such a good mood now. He is down riding as I am writing this. He took the Garmin with him. SIGH. I doubt if he would come home if he lost it again. ;-)



*The metal detector belonged to my inlaws and has been sitting in our garage for years. Kenny has been meaning to go beachcombing forever. I am so glad that we never donated it or sold it on Craig's List in order to make room in the garage. It really came in handy!!
**We don't use the band that came with the Garmin. We bought a band that could attach to a bicycle. It has a velcro strap that I actually like better than the original band. Unfortunately, it looks like Kenny didn't double check that it was snapped onto the band correctly. It is best to snap it on before putting it on your wrist and apparently, he did it the other way.
***Not just because you have offered to buy me things. It is so important to me to have you interested and excited about my running. You are also a wonderful grandfather etc. :-)

Totally bummed!!

My dear hubby went out this afternoon for a short mountain bike ride. He came home late for dinner with a sheepish look on his face. He held up his wrist showing me the Garmin wrist band with no Garmin!!!! WTF???? He said it fell off somewhere on the trail and he looked for it for quite a while. I know it won't do any good to yell at him. I know he feels bad enough. But GEESH! He's going to go out looking again tomorrow, but I am not holding out too much hope.

I am SO disappointed. My training is going so well and I credit that silly little device with a lot of my smart choices. I am pretty sure I would not have finished my run this morning as strongly without my Garmin telling me to slow down. My tempo and speed runs have been actually fun knowing my pace. I know it isn't necessary to have one of these things to train right (people have trained for years without them and still do), but DARN IT, I liked it. I was getting used to having it around. I don't even have my Nike+ right now because my foot pod isn't working, so I have to go back to old school for finding out my distance, pace etc. Damn.

Why can't something good happen like finding a $100 bill or getting a great job instead of losing a $200 toy? It is definitely not something we will be replacing any time soon, especially with property taxes and insurance due very soon. I feel silly for being so bummed over a thing like this. There are so many people that don't EVER have the wherewithal to purchase such a luxury item.

Thanks for letting me vent. I will write about my 20 mile run a bit later, after I stop feeling sorry for myself.

Zippedy Doo Dah!

I am feeling very ZIPPY tonight!

I have been marvelling at Terri's speed lately as she reports on her great track workouts. I have been thinking to myself that I didn't think I could run that fast. That changed tonight.
I had a speed workout on the schedule. It was 3 X 1600 at a 7:50 pace with 800m jogs in between. I had a hard time motivating myself because I knew it was going to be hard work. A long run can be relaxing. Speed workout? Not so much. I finally got around to heading out to the track around 5 p.m. Maybe I should run at that time more often.

I don't know what got into me, but even my warm-up mile was fast:
warm up mile: 8:31 (probably not the smartest pace to start out)
interval mile 1: 6:45!!!!!! (That is my fastest mile EVER. I never thought I had that in me. What was in that wrap I had for lunch???)
interval mile 2: 7:24
interval mile 3: 7:28

My overall pace was an average of 7:57, including the 1/2 mile jogs in between the intervals. I don't understand why my tempo run last week was so difficult! I struggled to keep up an 8:25 pace for four miles. This afternoon? My biggest struggle was not being able to get anywhere near my target pace. My friend, Jen, always says her evening runs are way faster than her morning runs. I guess I am the same way. The problem is, I nearly blew off today's run. I have to get it out of the way or else it is too easy to get distracted, derailed and demotivated.

So where do I sign up for the 5 p.m. 5K??

On tap: a 20 mile run this weekend. I am actually looking forward to it.

happy running, everyone!

a great run (aka more therapy)

I had 18 miles on the schedule on Sunday. After a busy, busy day Saturday hosting my daughter's big birthday party, I wasn't up for an early run, so I missed running with Laura, who needed to get an early start. I had a lazy morning helping a three-year-old open new toys (and keeping her five-year-old brother from taking them over). I was having a hard time getting motivated and didn't get out of the house until noon.

Instead of driving somewhere like Mission Bay or downtown to run 18, I decided that I wanted to run in the canyon behind our house. This is where Kenny and I rode our mountain bikes a month or so ago and I figured it would be a great run. It didn't disappoint.

It was harder than my typical long run. I ran over 17 miles, all on fire roads or single track trails and the elevation gain/loss totaled over 1850 feet! According to my Garmin, one spot had a 35% grade. Is that even possible? It was probably one of those spots I had to walk. While I didn't get all 18 miles in, I figure that I ran roughly the equivalent (or more) and got my hill workout for the week out of the way! I don't think I could have done another mile. I was out of water* and was worked.

I had planned on listening to a podcast or two. However, I wanted to start out with some music to get me a little more pumped up for the run. I never switched to the podcasts. I was really enjoying being out in the canyon listening to music. I had a cathartic moment out there on the trails due to one of the songs. A song I hadn't listened to in a very long time came on. It was "I Could Not Ask for More" by Edwin McCain. The words to the song made me think about how lucky I am to have my husband and children. Two weeks in a row now, my long run has helped me focus on what is important. These runs are becoming a key part of my mental health. They combine time by myself, physically challenging myself and good music. It has to be better than therapy or drugs...

Could not ask for more - Edwin McCain

Here are the words that really touched me:

"These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive.
These are the moments I'll remember all my life.
I've found all I've waited for,
And I could not ask for more."

I can't believe that I had never run out there before (I have only gone on the small path system put in our neighborhood). I never realized that it is a wildlife reserve! As I got further away from our house and all the water district service roads, I started seeing hikers, mountain bikers and one horseback rider. I think I counted at least a dozen hikers. At one point I stopped and talked to two women who happened to also be runners. They asked me how far I was going and then what I was training for. Both of them had run the Rock n Roll Marathon last year. As are most runners I meet, they were super friendly and I enjoyed the break.

There were only two things that I would categorize as negative. The first is that I got my first sunburn of the year! I left the house and there was a cool breeze and the forecast said it wouldn't get much over 60. I was wearing a long-sleeve technical shirt that breathes really well. Well... not enough. A few miles into the run, I was HOT. I usually don't run in just a sports bra, but there was no way I was going for more than three hours in a long-sleeved shirt. Unfortunately, I didn't plan for that and didn't have any sunscreen on. Ouch!

The other was how I totally freaked myself out about snakes**. For the first three hours, the creepiest critter I thought about were the dozens of caterpillars crawling along the fire roads. During the last couple of miles of my run, I thought I saw s-shaped tracks in the dirt that could only be from a snake. I started getting very anxious. I even jumped over a suspicious stick. The worst of it came when I missed the turnoff for the trail back to my neighborhood. At this point I was very tired and VERY thirsty. I wasn't going to backtrack, so I decided the only thing to do was hike up through the brush to find the trail. It was TORTURE. I turned off my iPod so I could listen for a rattle. I made my way through the brush convinced that at any moment I would hear or see a snake. I finally made it to the trail and ran as fast as my exhausted legs could go back to my car.***

I am very pleased with myself. I was not motivated at all to get out there, yet once I did, I had a fantastic 17 mile run. It was my longest trail run by far. I ran it at an 11-minute-mile pace. I don't think that is too shabby. I am looking forward to the next one.

*I only have three bottles for my hydration belt. I lost the fourth during the final stretch of the AFC half marathon and didn't want to go back for it. On a warm day out on the trails, 30 ounces isn't quite enough.

** I was told, quite equivocally, by both my husband and my neighbor that it is much too early for snakes...even on a lovely sunny day. They both chuckled at me when I told them of my fear. I am not sure if I will be running back there this summer. shiver...
***I parked my car at the bottom of the hill going into our neighborhood. I knew that the last thing I would want to do after a 17 or 18 mile run was go straight up a hill to my house.

Kindness of Strangers...

I was moved to tears at the supportive and encouraging comments that many of you left on my last post. Marathonman, you really touched me by suggesting that my readers sponsor my next marathon. You started a bit of a trend when several others followed your lead. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

As sweet and as generous it is for virtual strangers (or all we now really virtual friends?) to offer to help me pay my way, I am pretty confident that I will be able to come up with entry fees with birthday gifts. I am not 100% comfortable accepting charity...yet.

HOWEVER, in the vein of sponsorship, I AM fundraising for a much more worthy cause than my personal running endeavors. I am a team captain for the March of Dimes March for Babies in April for the Central San Diego Stroller Strides locations. I might even run my marathon for all the March of Dimes babies out there. I have been blessed with two very healthy children. I had good prenatal care and no major complications during my pregnancies. Many women are not so lucky. Money raised by the March of Dimes will help:

• support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects
• educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby
• provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care
• push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children
  
  
  
  

Thanks again for the encouraging words. I feel very lucky to have this outlet. I never would have thought that I would find such an inspiring and supportive group of readers. Writing about my running exploits has been such a wonderful release for me. To find a group of people who actually read it is more than I could have asked for.

happy running...

A little perspective

I had a great run today. I didn't have my Garmin with me, but I am pretty sure I ran sixteen miles in about a 9:40-9:45 average*. I felt good the entire time with just a bit of leg achiness during the last couple of miles. The best thing is that I finished strong and feel pretty energized right now. Whereas last week I couldn't have gone one block further than the 14 miles, today I know I could have run longer.

I started out the run composing a blog post in my head that was very whiny. My working title during those first miles was "falling apart.**" I was in that fog of negativity for the first third of the run. I finally turned on some music (Laura had pulled ahead of me) and focused on where I was running. I was running along the Pacific Ocean***, for crying out loud. It was a clear 50 degree morning- perfect for running. How can anyone focus on negativity running in that environment??

As I ran by Wind and Sea Beach, I thought about my favorite family pictures taken there a few years ago. What wonderful family memories we have. Despite the rough times that we are going through, I am so blessed to have such a great family. I have two fantastic kids and a great guy whom I love and loves me back. We are all healthy and happy.

As I was dodging tourists by the seal beach, I reflected on how lucky I am to live here. There were two busloads of people admiring a beach (and the seals lounging on it) that I get to run by on a random weekend run. Later, on the way back in Pacific Beach, I slowed down so I would not run into a tourist or two (or six!) meandering along the boardwalk before or after enjoying a nice surfside breakfast.

The final turning point for my mood came when this song came on, right around the turn-around point. Not only does it have the perfect running beat, but the lyrics are fun. I was practically punching the air while it was playing. How can you hear this song without moving?? I played it three times!! *blush*

I Dont Care - Fall Out Boy

After that song, I didn't care that Laura was running faster than me. While earlier I had felt a little pang of competitive letdown when I saw her pulling away from me, during the last seven miles or so, I started to feel proud of myself for being able to run my own run. I knew that I wanted to take it easy and keep my pace closer to 10-minute miles today. Once I let it go, I relaxes and my run became even more enjoyable. I knew I was running smart and wouldn't have a repeat of last week. When she first started pulling away, around mile 5 or 6, I felt bad for not keeping up. I was late and, to add insult to injury, I was holding her back. By mile 9, I knew that we were both running the way we wanted to run.

It was actually nice not having my Garmin. While I would like to know my splits, I didn't obsess over my pace and settled into a nice, comfortable run. The difference between today and last Sunday is huge. It is so nice to know that those runs happen and they aren't the end of the world. The question is... am I ready to do eighteen next week????

*Laura ran hers at an average of 9:31 and I was a bit behind her.

**A few things prompted my whiny feeling this morning:

• I forgot (despite having conversations about it) about the time change and woke up an hour late. After discovering this I rushed around and was still almost 40 minutes late meeting Laura. I was feeling like that "flaky friend" that everyone has. I hate being the flaky one (and it has been happening a lot more often lately)!
• I am training for a race that I can't afford to enter. There is no way I can justify the entry fee. Why is it again that we PAY to run? My birthday is coming up... maybe I'll hint around that running a marathon is what I really want. ;-)
• My hubby has been unemployed for seven weeks with no real nibbles. It is time for me to buckle down and start looking seriously as well. It breaks my heart since my son is starting Kindergarten and I just took a tour of the school and saw how many parents help out. It is something that I always wanted to do, but won't be able to do if I am working full time.
• My blogger friend, Alissa, just lost her job. I feel terrible for her. Also, for some reason, reading her news made my situation seem that much more real. It seems like the economy is getting worse and worse, which doesn't make one hopeful on the job front.
• I am overwhelmed by all the stuff going on in my life. For example, I desperately NEED to find insurance for our family. There are so many options and I am getting paralysis of analysis. Instead of buckling down and finishing my research, I am writing a blog post, checking facebook etc.

***We ran from South Mission Beach north to La Jolla Cove.

220

That is the number of unread posts in my Google Reader. It isn't that I don't love you all. Many of your blogs I am reading here and there through my iGoogle homepage, but not having time to go comment. I'll be a better blogger friend soon.

Calgon... take me away!

You MUST respect the long run.

I had one of the worst runs EVER yesterday. I had one run last year that was the worst of the season, and I think yesterday may have been harder than that.

But there is good news. I think I learned a few lessons:

1) Don't run long runs too fast! Even though I seemed to have a stitch in my side from around mile 2, my breathing never felt right and I never got into a good rhythm, I ran most of the miles around a 9:30 pace*. Even in my last few miles when I walked part of the time, I still averaged under an 11-minute mile. I need to learn to let Laura go on ahead (I did at mile 11 when I didn't have a choice but to slow down). There was no reason to push it yesterday.

I still don't get the breathing thing. I felt out of breath most of the run. By the last three miles, my chest felt really, really tight. I felt like I could never get enough air. I think it is what it might feel like to have mild asthma. It sucked. Laura, who is a nurse, thought that it is possible that I might have some inflammation from the cold I had a week or so ago. I hope there is an explanation. I really hope it is temporary.

2) Treat long runs like a race and fuel and hydrate the day before. Yesterday I was thirsty during the first mile. Luckily, I had my fuel belt and was able to refill it during the run. I don't know how Laura does it. I think she is part camel. She only drank at the water fountain at mile five and mile nine.

I didn't really think about fueling my body yesterday. I just ate as usual, maybe even a little less than usual. Dinner wasn't particularly carb friendly either. I doubt my glycogen stores were up much at all. For breakfast, all I had was a Luna Bar. It is time to start trying out long run breakfast options.

I ran out of energy yesterday. For the first time ever, I completely bonked. I had to negotiate with myself to keep going. I was saying things like, "if I run to that light post, I can walk for a while." Once I said that I would walk until the Garmin lap pace showed eleven minutes and then I would run to get it back into the tens. Those are internal conversations during a LONG run, not fourteen miles! I forced myself to run the last half mile.

3) Don't do a double workout the day before a long run. Saturday morning, I taught a Stroller Strides class. No biggie, but I did happen to focus on lower body (squats, hip abductions, inner thigh lifts etc.). I had a group of moms who ran between stations, so I needed to run to keep up with them. It wasn't exactly a "rest" day. Why again did I volunteer to cover the Saturday classes?

Then I had an instructor meeting for Stroller Strides. We always workout during these meetings, which is great because you get to learn more exercises etc. This time they gave us each a muscle group to work. Imagine approximately 30 instructors all trying to impress each other with a different exercise with no break. Holy cow... what a workout! I am still sore.

I didn't exactly exactly prepare for a long run. I guess I wasn't really thinking of it as a long run. I've been running eight to twelve miles every week. I don't even think about it much. It wasn't the fact that it was fourteen miles. I was hurting by eleven miles and knew early on that it wasn't a good run for me.

4) Sleep is important! I have not been sleeping well lately. I am staying up later than I should and waking up early. This morning I woke up just after 5 a.m. for no particular reason. I suppose stress does that to you.

5) Running by the Pacific Ocean can't be beat! The best part of the run for me was running along Sunset Cliffs. We were literally steps from the ocean. In fact, the walkway ended and we ran on sandstone for a while. It was a bit slippery and we had to watch our steps, but I was grinnning ear to ear the entire time. If it wasn't for that stretch, I would have had an even harder time. That was mile six and I really thought it was going to feel great for the rest of the run...

Here are some pictures. I feel a little bad posting these knowing that some of you ran in horrible, horrible weather this weekend.

6) When the forecast calls for mid-70's, we need to start our run earlier. For the past week, the forecast has been off, on the low side, by at least five degrees. If it says the high is 76, you know it will be 81. Starting around 8 a.m. on a day like this wasn't the best choice. It was really hot, which didn't help me at all. I think it was over 80 degrees when we finished.

7) I really do hate Accelerade. I got used to it last year. We trained with it since that is what they served during the marathon. But yesterday it made me nearly gag every time I drank it. At the very end, when I was feeling dehydrated and my water was gone, sipping on that Accelerade made things worse. Does powdered Accelerade go bad? I don't think so. But I think I am going to throw it away anyway. I really need to go buy some Ultima or even some good ol' fashioned powdered Gatorade. I received a packet of the lemon-lime Gatorade Endurance Formula in a race goody bag and really liked it.

So if I take heed of these lessons, yesterday's run definitely wasn't a bust. I need to really respect the long run, no matter if it is fourteen or twenty miles. I need to start approaching these runs better. We have our first of three twenty-milers in a few weeks. I need to work out the kinks before that!

*My splits:

mile 1- 9:25

mile 2- 9:21

mile 3- 9:26

mile 4- 9:29

mile 5- 9:26

mile 6- 10:47 (this is where we ran on the sandstone along the water)

mile 7- 9:41

mile 8- 9:22

mile 9- 9:31

mile 10- 9:28

mile 11- 9:19 (Laura had eaten a Gu around 9.5 miles. I think it kicked in)

mile 12- 9:18

mile 13- 10:24

mile 14-10:28