If not, you can catch up here.
And I think I may have revealed that in the past month I have been given the opportunity to run 2 big races.
Major opportunities for a girl like me.
And thanks to my extensive running-for-fun to help my friend Amber train for her 2 big races, I was pretty much trained up.
Last week was my 11 mile run in prep for my half marathon next week.
And yesterday was scheduled to be my 9 mile run.
Despite the fact that I have run 9 miles before.
Despite the fact that I have run 10 miles before.
And despite the fact that I just ran 11 miles last weekend, there were several factors making this run far more difficult than any of my other runs.
1. I would be running it alone.
In case you just climbed out from under a rock, yesterday was Easter Sunday.
Almost everyone I know was either out of town or with family.
Including Amber.
And including me.
Until about 3:30 yesterday afternoon.
2. It was hot!
I hate to whine about the weather.
Especially when a few months ago I was complaining about snow.
But the thing is...I learned to really enjoy running in the cold.
You see, I sweat.
Alot.
Kinda like a man.
Or worse.
Maybe like a pig.
In heat.
And running in the cold helps mitigate the sweating like a pig in heat.
Kinda.
3. Time limits.
Did I mention that I travelled for a good portion of the day yesterday?
So by the time I got home it was well after 3 pm.
And yes, there was that whole mowing situation.
So by the time I was free to run, it was after 5 o'clock....
Giving me very little time to go anywhere to run it. (Meaning, I would have to make multiple loops around my 'hood to get in the mileage. Have you ever tried to run the same loop over and over and over? It's seriously like being on a merry go round complete with motion sickness somewhere mid-loop 2....)
And giving me about 2.5 hrs to squeeze in a 9 miler before dark....
Shouldn't have been a problem except for....
4. Rain. Thunder. Lightning. And HAIL.... Oh my!
About half a mile into my run, it started sprinkling.
Lest you think I am a pansy, I run in the rain.
But I was wearing Techy's new $90 bluetooth headset.*
Which is sweat resistant.
But not water proof!
Sprinkling was dealable.
But then the sky's opened.
As in, I got passed by several pairs of animals looking for an ark.
And then the hail hit....
Nevermind the thunder and lightning.
I figured that was a good enough sign.
So I went in.
And waited.
About an hour later, I tried again.
And got about 6.5 miles in before the rain hit again.
This time there was no sprinkling.
Just a downpour.
So back inside I went and while my legs were still warm, I hit my elliptical for another 22 minutes or the approximate time it would have taken for me to finish up another 2.2 miles.
After everything was said and done, here was my total breakdown from yesterday's "run":
(hint: read top to bottom)
All in all, I ran approximately 8 miles yesterday plus whatever I did on the elliptical.
And to be honest, I don't know if this is sufficient training for my half next week or not.
In the meantime, I am keeping my fingers crossed and enjoying some nice easy runs this week while I am waiting for the race day.
And.
Lest you think I am a total sell out, I did run while I was away this weekend.
And that run was alone in the rain.
And the second half was almost entirely uphill.
And I happened to really enjoy it.
So yeah.
I CAN be tough.
And I can do distance.
Just not when I am threatened with the possibility being struck by lightning....
So what do you think?
Will my lacksadaisical (wimpy) training pay off or will I be regretting these decisions when it comes to race time?
*Let this be a lesson for race day. As wonderful as bluetooth headphones may be, there is no way that I want to have to worry about them for 2 hours should the rain roll in.
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