Final Weekend of July

Friday I worked from home which meant that I moved from wi-fi spot to wi-fi spot on Cape Cod and worked for nearly 10 hours.  Good times.  On a day that had started with doing schedules and estimates at 7:30 AM and ended in a flurry of calls over the realization that a designer in the employ of my client, who was supposed to help me, had messed up much of his work, I wasn't really in the mood to go out running.

I was dehydrated and over-caffeinated but I went anyway.  The caffeine and work-day adrenaline caused me to go out hard -- too hard.  I couldn't keep up with myself.  The only thing that kept me going was that at about mile 3.5 of my planned 4 mile route I was going to veer to the beach and jump in the water which I did.  I stripped off my shirt shoes and socks and jumped in and swam for about 10 minutes.  Then I got re-dressed, stepped in the water in my shoe, and finished the run.  It was sort of fun and sort of relaxing and a good and different workout.  Open water swimming without goggles (even with) is hard.

Saturday I went out for a quick 5K.  It was super humid and tough to breathe.  Nothing major to report except that the light was beautiful and that the Bass River was gorgeous.

Running with FA

I had a good run on Saturday AM with FA -- his post is already up.  It was a hot and sticky day and we ran at a comfortable and sane pace.  I know that you're saying that your HR monitor seemed a bit out of whack, but it could be that your HR really is down 10 BPM, or it could be connected to the fact that we did converse and that regulated your HR.  Keep running, you're doing great!

In the afternoon we went for a swim at a Pond we joined and that was fun.  I swam a couple hundred yards, maybe, and that was much different from running.  I've got some work to do if I want to do a Tri.  FA and I also paddled a canoe around the pond and that was cool.

Downtown Run

I took Child Two in the stroller this AM.  He was up, I was up, so we went running.  We did our usual downtown -- it's where he likes to go -- run and logged 40 minutes.  I came back slower than I went out by just a bit.  I was dragging today.  It was more humid today than it was earlier in the week.  C2 chattered the whole way, as usual, and made observations about trucks and walkers and vans and other runners.  In the spring we saw a dead possum and he mentions it every time we go out together, but he calls it a "big boole" (I'm not sure how to spell it.  He asked me why it got smooshed . . . It was a great morning.  Usually I use the sun shield in the stroller to keep the sun out of his eyes, but today he wanted to bring his shades so I only put the bug/dirt screen over him.  It was fun to be able to look down and see his little head and it was easier to hear him and talk to him. 

I love running with C2.

Climbing Back on The Wagon

I've fallen off of the running wagon, but did get out today.  I went for about 5 miles and 42 minutes so it was still pretty quick -- though it's a route I've never run before, and I screwed up my timing (I'm backing into both estimates).  Nothing much to report except that it was a beautiful morning and a joy to be on the road.  Someone cut me off in her car and  broke my stride about half mile from the end, and that was stinky, but all systems were go.

Slog

Today's run was a serious slog.  Summer running can be tough.  Everything hurt for the first 15 minutes -- my ankle, my head, my lungs.  I went short, 3.3 miles, and had one of the toughest runs at that distance that I've had in a while.   I attribute the pain-level in my lungs to the humidity -- it was brutal today.  I got in a run, that's good.  It was far from the best but not the worst; it got my heart rate up, my blood pumping and got some sort-of-fresh air, and a huge sweat -- all good.

July 4 - 6, 2008

I had a big running weekend this past weekend which was good considering I also had a big eating weekend.  I was trying to shock my body out of its 3-4 mile lethargy that's descended upon my running.

July 4, 2008
I observed the Fourth as John Adams requested "[i]t ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports . . ." I ran the 5 K in my town and had a good time.  I started out with a couple of neighbors and finished alone.  I did it in 23:44 -- not my fasted but not my slowest either.I actually ran to the start with my neighbor, about 2 miles and then rean the race. At the end you enter the little finish chute and race organizers/officials were saying "stay in line, keep your order." This woman who finished two steps behind me cut me and the guy in front of me and said, oh hey, sorry guys, I'm not sure where I finished . . . " At the end of the little chute they were recording numbers. I'm sure it will be in the town paper, the order of finish. She cut to move up the standings. I wanted to say "hey, lady, give me a break!" Except then I would have been as much of an OCD over-competitive jerk as she was.

July 5, 2008
I headed out fro 5+ on Saturday AM. Nothing really to report, just a good old fashioned Cape Cod run with a good hard 1/2 mile kick at the end. 46:14.

July 6, 2008
While waiting out traffic I headed out for another 5+ Sunday evening. I dropped the kick at the end but still finished in 46:11. Both Saturday and Sunday I ran as much as possible on the side of the road in the grass and sand. It was cool but muggy and there was a light fog rolling in off of Nantucket Sound. It was pretty cool.
My ankle was a little sore all weekend, but nothing to keep me off the road.

!@#$%^&*

I went out this AM around 6:20 with thoughts of running my 4.7 mile loop. I was rolling along nicely at about 14 minutes, and stepped into the grass to avoid some low hanging branches when, all of a sudden I nearly went down. I stepped on a piece of wood and turned my ankle -- yes the ankle I hurt in November 07. It hurt and I was limping. I stopped to rub it, walked some more, rubbed some more and then ran home. I popped some ibuprofen, iced with a bag of frozen of onions and then got ready for work. I don't think that there's any ligament damage, it feels more like a bone bruise. I'm sort of bummed out but I don't think that it's that big of a deal, it's just annoying and a bit sore. I'll see if I can go out tomorrow, which I think I should be able to do unless it swells today, and then run my July 4 Road Race.

Anyway, I never posted my Boston Chase Corporate Challenge story, so here it is. It was hot and humid and crowded. Twelve thousand runners lined up to run a 3 mile course. I ran the first two miles socially with a couple of friends. We covered the first two in a glacial 19:19. At that point I glanced back at them and then dropped the hammer. I covered the last mile in 7:48, bobbing and weaving a bit around the flagging office workers of Boston. Not exactly and earth shattering time, but with that field, I anticipated no PR.

Several observations about this event: it's crazy to run wild in the first mile, it's unbelievably crowded. The course was shortened this year to 3 miles because of construction in Kenmore Sq. I saw a girl blow out her ankle on Comm Ave and drag herself to the sideline, telling a friend, "I'm done." It was cool to run down Comm Ave. It's amazing how hard some folks were breathing in the last mile -- I think many folks underestimate the difficulty of running 3 miles. I've now run this race in NYC and Boston, nearly 5 years apart. I saw a girl bent over at the finish with a puddle of dark stuff at her feet, splattered onto her shoes and calves. I thought it was really dark vomit until she looked up with blood gushing out of her nose and said to the race medical staff "Towel!" She must have gotten elbowed near the finish. It's kind of strange to see your colleagues in their running clothes.