That's Life in the Midwest

My running outfit Saturday morning: capri running tights, long-sleeved moisture wicking t-shirt, jacket, running gloves.

My running outfit Tuesday: shorts and a tank top.

This is why people hate the Midwest.

Another reason to hate early morning runs

For some odd reason I agreed to meet Runner Wendy at the inhuman hour of 7:30 Saturday morning. I think I agreed to this on the precipice that I'd be done that much earlier and free to go about my weekend. While running early is a good idea in say, August, when the average temperature in the Midwestern United States is approximately 112, running early when the high that day is 50 is a less than wise choice.

Needless to say, I was cold. I started out the run with my capri tights, long-sleeved shirt and running gloves. Given that one is supposed to dress for weather approximately 20 degrees warmer than it is, I thought I was good. I ran the first 5 miles and once we circled back to the cars, I put on my jacket and left it on for the remaining 8 miles.

The run itself went fairly well. We breezed through the first 5 miles before stopping for some sports drink. I nibbled on a few bites of PowerBar and Runner Wendy opened her Shot Blocks. We then ran another 3 miles before another drink stop and mapped out the remaining 4 miles, which unfortunately we did incorrectly. Once we circled another loop, we realized that we were a mile short so we had to use Runner Wendy's GPS watch to figure out where to turn around. For the last mile the thoughts that ran through my head were these:
"Only one more mile. Jeeze it's still cold. When can I eat some breakfast? How much further? How can I be sweating when it's stinkin' cold outside? We've only gone 4/10 of a mile. Those runners were smart to start running at 9:45 instead of 7:30. Seriously, how much further?"

The last mile did finally get finished and I did finally treat myself to some breakfast. Oh - and I learned something else on this run. I am not fond of Margarita flavored Shot Blocks. But really - who could be?

7:30 comes pretty early

I'm really nervous for my run tomorrow. I have to do 12 miles. Given that I've had somewhat of a sluggish week and that this run is 2 miles longer than last weekend, I'm experiencing some anxiety about doing well when I meet up with Runner Wendy at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Not to mention, she's a morning person.

There could be blood shed.

I really must be going (to sleep) now

I'm tired. Really tired. I'm constantly thinking about how long until I can go to sleep. I think about sleep while I'm at work. I think about sleep while I'm running. I think I even dreamed about sleeping one night. I remember from my last marathon the sore legs, the sweat and the massive amounts of sports drinks but I don't remember being so darn tired all the time. Of course, I was 7 years younger but that's only 1 dog year so that can't have much of an effect, can it?

Several people have postulated that the change in weather is partly to blame. I hope that's the case because this sleepiness is having an adverse effect on my social life. I barely made it through cheeseburgers with my friends last night. Last weekend I was invited to what sounded like a really cool party. I couldn't go, but it's probably for the best because I was in bed by 9:30 that night.

Needless to say, my runs have been somewhat sluggish this week. I'm holding out hope that I'll regain my mojo next week and my social life will be restored.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Memo to myself: a cheeseburger and fried cheese balls do not make the optimal pre-run meal.

Finishing 10 with a Grin

I've hit double digits! This weekend's run was a 10-miler. Not only did I finish it, but I managed to finish with a smile.

This week included some really weird weather. It started out fairly nice and ending up fairly...freezing. I was in Decatur over the weekend for my some family events so I decided to take advantage of the lake there for some picturesque scenery during my run. It was a good idea. Too bad Mother Nature had other ideas. A cold front had moved in Friday night and when I woke up early Saturday morning, the fog was so thick that I couldn't even see the lake until after mile 5.

A super-huge shout out goes to my mom this week. She woke up with me before the sun came up and drove me to a drop-off point. She then drove to a point several miles away to take my jacket and take photos. AND... she was there at mile 8 with sports drink before she picked me up at the end and took me for breakfast afterward. Another shout-out goes to my friend Gail (Gail #2). Decatur Gail allowed me to stop by early Saturday morning for some water and to warm up in her nice warm house.

After leaving Gail's house, the fog started to evaporate and I had a beautiful 5 miles to run. The view was a lot more attractive than I was at that point but that wasn't much of a surprise. For a couple miles I was wishing I had my jacket on again but I soon enough the sun warmed me.

Now that I had finished my 10 miles, the hard part of my day was about to begin. I was off to a 3-year-old's birthday party. Now THAT I barely got through alive. (Brag point - my Mickey Mouse Clubhouse viewfinder was a favorite gift of said 3-year-old.)

That night I went to bed at 9:30 and slept for the next 11 hours.

Just in time for appetizers

What is it with rain on Thursday nights? This is the 2nd Thursday in a row that it has rained, but it is the 2nd Thursday in a row that I've braved the rain. I give myself dedication points for that.

Tonight I only had 3 miles to do. I had arranged with my friend Gail to run to her house and get a lift back to my car. Around noon she called and asked if I was still planning on running in this weather. Unfortunately I said yes. She mentioned that she was having a few people over for some Wii and dinner but I was still welcome to run over. Literally.

Since the rain had lightened up a bit as I was leaving work, I figured I'd try to get the run done quickly in hopes that I could beat the heavy rain and avoid the need for an Ark. I hammered the first 2 miles (uh, the term hammered is relative) and covered them in 10:00 and 10:20 respectively. Not too shabby for me considering the rolling hills along the way. I let up slightly for the 3rd mile in anticipation of Saturday's 10-miler.

I arrived at my friend's house just as she and her guests were munching on some appetizers. So after I was handed a towel and glass of water, I was offered some yummy goodies too. Gail even sent me home with some cheese, crackers and nuts.

Too bad all my runs don't end with a doggy bag.
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