The Unexpected (Unsuspecting?) Partner!

Okay, this virtual running thing rules ... just before staring to write, I received an email from Virtual Running Partner Extraordinaire Mary Kate confirming our starting line phone call (ohhhh yeahhhh! ) AND (I love this) asking about who's wearing what color to see if we can coordinate!! Does she rock or what?! I'm the loser blowing that one, though, because Pit Crew #2 has her favorite shirt, I have my favorite, and, really, they don't go together at all. BUT, by the end of it, we'll all coordinate because we'll smell and be gross. Yet again, winning at the finish line!!!

To get there, I had one more training run today. I hate this training run. It feels ... useless? That's not really the right word. Annoying? Yeah, that's one. Here's the thing -- by this point in the schedule, I'm kinda tired. And, this run is short. And, I don't want to do it. I never do. Before my Half in the Spring, I blew this one off completely (and had my best Half ever, so go figure). I'm totally committed to the schedule except for this run. I got myself up this morning, and those three miles were just staring at me. It was an ugly stare. I soooo did not want to do them. They're not going to make or break Saturday's outing. Period. But, I felt like they might break me today.

On top of it, my human running parter had another commitment this morning, so I didn't even have that accountability. (Elly can sad-eyes me all she wants, but all I have to do is shower instead of put on my running clothes, and she just moves on with her lazy morning.) My legs were kind of tight, though, so I knew I needed at least a shake out run. And, who better to recruit ...

That's right: Pit Crew #3!!! He has very much enjoyed our outings in the past, but he hasn't been running this summer. This isn't really something to spring on a person, so I gave him a bit of a plea reminding him of how awesome it would be to come with me and a promise to only go two miles at whatever speed he chooses. It didn't take much convincing, but he still had to pour on the drama:


It's not that I was sorry he was with me, but it is very difficult to run while laughing. Just sayin'.

I barely remember the run itself because we were locked into conversation the entire time. (He is his mama's boy, and there's not much shuttin' up with him.) Currently, he's reading Shaquille O'Neal's autobiography, so we was educating me on Shaq's childhood telling me what surprised him about it, relating it -- or not -- to his own world, etc. My very favorite kind of literature is biographical, so I wanted to hear all he wanted to tell me. That worked great for both of us because, before we knew it, we were finished! But, not without a last nod to some drama. Oh, brother:

"That run was awful! I almost died!" he said.
"I hope my eyes don't roll straight out of my head," she replied.

I must note that the very first thing PC#3 said when we stopped running was, "That was fun!" He always says that ... running is a perfect platform to talk! How fabulous is that?!

For real. Good stuff!

That's that. The training miles are in the books! There's just one more Rest Day and a route to map between us and finish line cupcakes! Yeah, baby !!! We'll check in from tomorrow's Rest Day!

Last One, One More

Exactly how did today's run become a little bit bitter sweet? With only one more to go after today, and with weather that took a turn for the much better, you'd think this morning would just cruise along and be nothing more than done.

However, even with one more training run on the schedule, I'll be flying solo or just-with-dog as Pit Crew #2's schedule prevents her from joining us tomorrow. Boo!! During today's run, I thought about our summer-o-running and how good it has been for us, and it felt a little bummer-ish that it's almost finished! I'm pretty certain the cupcakes at the end of Saturday's run will help take the edge off, though, just sayin'.

It was a really good run out there. With a significant drop in humidity, we could breathe the entire way without feeling like we're gasping for our last breath! Even Elly chugged along without issue! And, thanks to PC#2, the Food Bank will benefit from another nickel!

I saw that nickel out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look very carefully and thought it was part of a bird egg. Look, I also thought today was Thursday, and I thought a dentist appointment card was current when it clearly had 2012 on it. I'm not to be trusted on my keen observation skills right now!

It was a short run (which was very welcomed since PC#2 and I kept delaying getting out of our beds!), and it was a good one. I do so love doing this together!

Why, yes, we were a trio ... 'can't forget that!

Today's weather was a big payoff for pushing through what we've been going through, and it resulted in a good, solid run! (It also sent me over the 500-mile mark for the year ... booyah !!!) Just a couple of days ago, I thought I was the biggest moron for purposely scheduling a Half Marathon at the end of July; today, it felt like a perfectly fine idea! Let's hope this keeps up for a bit ... we sure could use it on Saturday! Before then, there's one more run for me, so I'll check in after the morning run!

Turtle Wisdom

When I first started running, I totally repeated the mantra about the turtle and the hare. "Slow and steady wins the race. Slow and steady wins the race." Over and over and over. This happened in the last half mile of my three-mile attempts. I needed it to keep me going. I needed it to feel good about myself. I can still see exactly what street I was on and where I was on it when I'd start reciting those words of wisdom. Clearly, this was a critical piece of my eventual success of finishing all three of those miles in a row.

So, when a friend posted this on Facebook, you know I not only had a running flashback, but I also laughed out loud!

I thought that was an excellent way to start a Monday!

 

Oh, yeah ... we also started off Monday with our run! Is it just me, or is it unusual to see a platter of pancakes in the road?



I kid you not, that was the highlight of the run. Well, that and the fact that Elly didn't notice the pancakes therefore not yanking my arm out of socket in order to investigate them. Good doggy. Oh, but speaking of food, yesterday's pasta dish is not a great pre-run meal for this kid -- too many spices sit around too long causing them to rock and roll in my stomach that early in the morning. Ugh. Good to know, though.

So, the running trio logged our four miles, and we went on with our day!

Just two more training runs to go before the cupcake run!! We'll get to those after tomorrow's Rest Day. See you then!

Awesome Outcome

So, after running this morning, I opened up my Facebook page to find this in my feed:

In my head, I was all, "Um, was this guy following me this morning?" because here's the deal: Today's run? Wrought with issues!!! Come along ...

It actually started out pretty well (not for Elly who was not asked to join me even though she let me sleep all the way 'til the alarm instead of getting up her usual hour earlier ... poor puppy ...). There were possible storms in the forecast, but they missed us, so I got to run outside. (I told Pit Crew #2 we were running in the rain as long as it wasn't thundering/lightening; she accepted that over running her 7 miles on the treadmill!) Anyway, stepping outside was almost refreshing; it didn't feel great, but it was better and a weeeeeeee bit less humid. And, the clouds not only provided very welcomed cushion from the sun but also gave us this:

Glory to God here ... and, boy, was I going to need Him today!!

I had five miles to go on my own, so I took our latest 5-mile route and turned it backward just for something different to do. I know I've passed this a million times but haven't seen it from the other direction ...

Woo Hoo!! Fabulous Weed Of the Day!

... same goes for this ...

You just know this is home to some critter ... awesome!

... and, for this:

Check that out!! Bigger than my head!!

All systems seemed to be firing pretty well, and the lack of direct sun helped not suck my energy right out of me. That wasn't going to last, though. I felt it start to peek through near the fourth mile which is when I looked up to see if it was temporary with more clouds coming or if the cover was about to break up and really bum me out:

I totally see a circus elephant there in the middle. Trunk out,
up on its hind legs. I'm good with it if you don't.

Even with the sudden sun which also seemed to quickly up the humidity level (drat double drat!), the rest of this leg of the run went just fine.

Unfortunately, I was really kind of ready to just be done by the time I picked up PC#2. No sooner did I momentarily stop than my legs were all, "Oh, we're finished! Awesome! Wait ... wait ... what's going on ... we're moving ... what are we doing?!?!?" With just a couple of minutes between ending my solo venture and starting up again with PC#2, my legs were all quivery and annoying and added to my "let's just not do this today" internal sentiment!

On top of which, PC#2 and I were still hammering out an issue. To say that we have a fabulous relationship, one I truly dreamed of, is an understatement. But, our great relationship and our being human are not mutually exclusive, and, sometimes, there's crap to deal with. So, we capitalized on the time to get to the heart of our matter, chew on it and problem solve. Note: I'm not sure PC#2 would call that capitalizing on a moment; she might define it as totally trapped by circumstance. Just being fair.

We worked on our issue for the first mile and a half. In the sun. And the humidity. Yelling over traffic. Going up hill. No joke -- one of the two biggest on the route, and that's what we were doing.

However.

At the top of that hill, I felt very good about what we got "out there." So did she. And, we stopped and hugged even though we were starting to get smelly. But, I don't care. She's my girl. And, that was a perfect moment to finish that topic, and get on with the goodness.

Wait, did I say goodness? I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned the upping of the humidity, so you know saying goodness is a total lie! Eiye yie yie, it was something  out there!! Fortunately, we both have good water bottles and I routed us by many refill spots! Also fortunate was we both checked our egos at the door, and we walked more of this route than we ever have. It seemed one of us at different times needed a stint (or big stint up the biggest hill), and we just rolled with it. In fact, it was really quite enjoyable for a while! Also enjoyable was finding bank! It started with ...

Do you see what PC#2 saw?

It's a penny in disguise!

... and, it continued when we cruised through the parking lot of a fast food place before going in to refill our bottles. The refill places were on the route, and I was going to use them!

So says the Run Find Your Happy Pace Facebook page.
And, so we did.

Okay okay okay!!! We'll stop again ... if ... we ... have ... to ...

You know what they say about girls always having to go to the
bathroom together! Although, straight from the TMI department,
there was nothin' in there to come out ... all of our liquid was
all used up!! Time to replenish from the faucet!

I'm not even going to lie. I was spent by this point. With a little more than two miles to go, that's no good, so I ignored how I mentally felt, I kept drinking my water, and we got on with business! We happily continued our run-walk status (reserving walking for going up hill, but, by this time, "up" was ... ummm ... well, pushing it. But it was still up!), but by the 6th mile, it was nice to walk but hurt a bit to start back up. I couldn't help but think we'd indulged in too much of a good thing. Then, I kept thinking about how something that becomes a bad thing by first being a good thing is a really weird cycle. Just sayin'. I never did resolve this issue in my head, but it did keep me distracted for quite some time!

Still pondering my good-turns-bad issue, I looked over to check on PC#2 and noticed the Queen Ann's Lace she'd picked miles ago was pooping out:

Totally with you, little flower. Totally.

Less than a mile later, we closed in on our end point. The male Pit Crewers drove over to pick us up and take us home, and we were thankful!

And, there you have it. Seven for her; Twelve for me. We did it. It was hot. It was humid. She was rather tired, and I was totally drained. My feet still hurt. And, I'm walking a little funny. It wasn't all that fun.

But, it turned out to be one of the best runs ever.

We're in it together. All of it. Always.

Next week is soooo much more chill on the miles before the big one on Saturday, so the hard part is behind us! But, before that, tomorrow? That's right! WE REST!! And, we're cooking, so I'll see you then with a report! Ahhhh ... rest ...!

Love Hate Thursday

With a wee, momentary drop in temperature and humidity and a drop in the day's miles, all three of us got to head out this morning!! Hooray!!

I came to a realization in our first steps ... I've grown to love and hate the Thursday run. I love thinking about it on Wednesday because Thursday's is the shortest run of the week (while Wednesday's is always the second longest). Whatever I'm running on Thursday always seems like "nothing" until I get out there and start it up. Then, today like so many other Thursday mornings, I am so completely over it. I just want it behind me. Or to stop. And, the latter is not a sentiment to give in to!! I think the issue is that Thursday is my "running Friday" complete with that end-of-the-week feel. It's not bad, it's just ... tired. But, tired or not, Thursday morning is another time to go!

I got to make the very best of it today with both of my girls! We began by being spied upon ...

"I will eat you if you come closer."

We saw this same kitty yesterday, but as soon as we were close, it bolted. Today, it clearly felt safe hunkered down in its cover!!

Along we trotted, and no sooner was I thinking about it definitely being better (um, not good ... just better) out this morning versus yesterday, Elly started pulling over to the grass to give her paws a break from the heat.

There she goes!

She was pretty persistent about staying in the grass, but she kept moving while she both cooled herself off and investigated whatever it is she investigates. As long as she's safe and entertained, it's all good.

Meanwhile, right behind me, Pit Crew #2 channelled my snag-and-run technique to get herself a flower:

Hey, I thought she was running!

Am I the only one around here doing any
actual work?!?!

We motored along with some of us working harder than others what a total lie while I kept looking forward to not running tomorrow. 'Seems to be a theme, doesn't it? Let's not do this anymore!! Ah, but, actually, it's not a theme as much as a fleeting thought that I know I share with many. Fortunately, by the time it re-entered my brain, PC#2 and I had come to the part of the sidewalk wide enough to run side-by-side which totally facilitates the talking part of the running program. This is also when I realized she still had her flower ...

And, now, it's on our counter in a jar. Fab!

... and, where Elly was, yet again, off to the side. Kind of like her tongue!

Seriously!! Look at that!!

This last mile also brought about 3 pennies, and the bike lane produced yet another. See? One way or another, running pays!

Oh my gosh, I was thankful to be finished! You'd think being at this for almost five years (whuuuut ?! Who knew this would stick like that?!) that I would no longer have those, "Ew! Yuck! Totally don't want to even think about doing that!" moments! But, I do. And, again, I know I'm not alone or drawings such as these ...

... simply wouldn't exist! (I'll pass on the cheeseburger ... please pass the popcorn!! Yeah, yours. And, yours and yours and yours!)

Side Note: My next Freak Mode (for me) is set for next April. Oh, yes, I've already figured out that goal and have a pluh (which is the better part of a plan but not quite there!). Before then, I intend (ah, didn't commit to a plan there, now, did I?!) to amp up the current mode closer to September's race. That plan is weather-dependent, though, just sayin'. Between now and these events? Normal Person Nancy holds true to the ultimate mission to keep on keepin' on any way that happens!

Oh, and soon! Very soon! Maybe tomorrow! I will be back in the kitchen with a recipe I'm dying to try!! Here's the teaser ...

... and, here are today's finishers!

Tomorrow! We rest! And, perhaps, we cook! No matter what we're doing, I'll see you then!

Just Gross Out

Ohhhhh ... heck yeah!!!!

(A huge fan of the DVR to skip through commercials, I always stop and/or rewind this one. Always. More than once! Thanks to Run Hard - Always Finish Facebook page for finding this for the rest of us!!)

That's right, it is HUMP DAYYYYY (yeeaaahhhhh ... wooWOO!!) That also means it's a running day, and the human girls went out to hit it today! It was miserably humid and already almost 80 degrees, so Elly, to her displeasure, had to stay home. Don't be too sad; her story turns out fine.

With a 5-miler ahead of us, Pit Crew #2 and I headed out with a slow and steady pace. Perhaps it is that pace that allowed us to spy moneymoneymoney in our first mile? At the half mile point, we'd already found 3 pennies. Then, just as we were crossing an intersection, something glittered and caught my eye. PC#2 didn't know this, though, and was subsequently confused when we made it across the intersection only for me to announce, "And, now we have to go back!" She's rather easy going, though, and, by now, used to my running shenanigans (aka: frequent lack of forward focus), so she just waited while I went back myself. I had to wait for cars again, though, so when I saw another woman running toward us, I mentally willed her to not see what I saw. I also realized not many runners are on a money-first, running-second quest like it seems I am, so I really should not have been scared (oh, but how surprised I would have been had I seen her pick up what I believed was a coin! Ohhhh how surprised she would have been when I tackled her! Wait ... that was just the play I had in my head, I wouldn't do that.)

I digress ...

Anyway, I caught a break in the traffic, and it was totally worth the return!

That's a quarter, baby!! Booyah !!

Oh, wait ... we're running ... Okay, it's like this. It was gross out. Just. Plain. Gross. We were profusely sweating before checking off a single mile! That's just nasty!

She's so easy going that PC#2 can't even pretend to show it's
gross out even when it is. By the way, she was also the smart
one with her headband. I chose fashion over function leaving
my wicking wonders at home. Not cool.

We had one more money moment ...

I stopped to get the penny, and PC#2 said she thought I was
getting that log. I wondered how badly heat delirium had
already set in ...

... and, the hill climbing began! Now, you should know the following conversation took place last night:

Me: Hey, are you totally excited about running 5 miles with me tomorrow?
PC#2: It'll be hot so that means more walk breaks!

To be honest, I fully expected a plan to come forth to walk after our first big hill, but neither of us said anything. I found a good strategic place to insert one later to give our bodies a chance to catch up and reboot, but we weren't desperate for one. In other words, that slow start pace was exactly the right thing to do to keep ourselves in balance. I have to admit it still feels so weird to start off running a lot slower than I know I can, but I have more than come to learn that it's the smart thing to do. My body will tell me what it can do, and, when it comes to running, my body is often way smarter than my brain! I'll note, though, not bringing Elly was the smartest move of the morning. Have I mentioned it was gross out?

Our run was pretty uneventful after running through the money pit, and that was just fine. By the end, we were both pretty drained because of the humidity, but, between our pace and the water we had with us, recovery was quick. It's also motivating to know that tomorrow's run is much shorter which mentally fuels pushing through to finish as strong as possible!

We came home ready to apologize and love on Elly, but I think she had been doing just fine ...

"Of course I'm fine, mommy. I'm just here watching my stories."

With that, it's time to reset for another outing tomorrow! Take care of yourself in this wacky weather, and we'll see you after the morning run!

Subject To Change

Now, that's a picture for a Monday:

We got up early to run? Seriously. That's
for suckers. At least, that's how we feel
now. It's subject to change, though ...

I can only report that that captures ex.act.ly how we all felt about getting up to run this morning. Even the pooch was a wee-bit subdued compared to usual. In fairness, we kept her up too late as we all stayed up too late talking about absolute nonsense and laughing 'til some of us cried. If I'm going to have a crappy run, I can think of no better reason for being totally unprepared than that!

It was also mighty humid and almost 80 degrees, so we were at the limit for taking Elly. I told Pit Crew #2 from the onset of our run that we would take it really, really slow and follow Elly's lead. In other words, this was PC#2's first real education in how temperatures affect a dog and what you do to keep them safe!

And, it took Elly only a mile to start jumping in the grass for her walk breaks, so we really were at her limit. It's actually quite fascinating to watch her just live on instinct as she cruises over to the grass to cool her paws, she slows down to whatever speed she wants, then, out of nowhere, she cruises back over to the sidewalk or pavement and kicks into gear. I don't say a word during the whole process. She just does her thing.

And, while she's doing her other thing (hee hee), I spy cool stuff like this:

Come on in for a closer look; these are really cool!

In the shade, the running wasn't that bad. But, when we were in the sun's full force, that was a different story. Following PC#2's lead, I actually brought along water this morning which I don't tend to do at this mileage simply because I don't feel like holding it. But, let's face it, I don't ever feel like stretching, either, and that doesn't always serve me so well, either. So, I figured I'd learn from someone else's strategy today! And, even Elly got to benefit as I squirted some water on her mouth in between miles 2 and 3. I don't know that she particularly appreciated it seeing as that's not at all how a dog drinks, but I at least wanted her to know the option was there! (She pardoned my next offer opting to lick the dew in the grass instead.)

PC#2 and I reviewed the runner's advice I hold very near and dear in the heat ("Just cover the distance), and we accomplished our goal with treasures in hand!

For the weather, we looked MUCH better at the end of the run than the beginning. Am I right?!

Another pic? Oh, my, yes!

With that, we look forward to five miles on Wednesday, but not before having a Rest Day tomorrow!! And, tomorrow, I'll see you from the kitchen with a Hungry Girl recipe review!! Yahoo!!

Over the Top!

In my "don't let one thought discourage you out of something forever" moment of the day, follow this ... Yesterday afternoon, I was all about today's run. By the evening, I wasn't just all about it, I was really quite excited! In fact, I was so excited to run double digits that I started thinking about how to maintain such weekend mileage for most of the rest of the year (that'll make more sense another day when I figure out how much of that is real and how much is great-idea-not-happening). At 5 a.m., when I wanted to get up at 6 a.m., I was awake just long enough to have no desire to run. At 6 a.m., this long run felt like it was the worst idea ever. I even asked Aaron to run it for me (he declined). By 6:30 a.m. when I started, the idea swung back around to feeling like a fabulous idea. And, there you have it inside of 12 hours ... the running roller coaster! Sometimes you want on, sometimes you want off!

Clearly, I got on and went for the ride today! Hey, you want to know what was super-cool within the first half mile of this run? First of all, Elly did her obligatory biz, and I found a garbage bag to put it in so I wouldn't have to carry it! WAHOO!! (No such luck with her repeat performance a mile later, but I take what I get when I get it!) AND, I found a dime in that same distance!! I knew that made me that much closer to $9.00 for the Food Bank as I started the day with $8.83 ... was I going to get it over the top?!

That remained to be seen, but, in the meantime of looking down to find money, I looked up to see today's Weed Of the Day!

Okay, I'm not even sure if it's technically
a weed. Given where it was growing, it
is totally a weed. AND it's taller than I!
That's one weird weed!

I had actually assumed I wouldn't see anything very different today; changing my point of view certainly took care of that!

Elly and I cruised our first four miles with nooooo problem. Oh, the difference a drop in temperature and humidity makes!! When we set sail, it was only 63 degrees!!! (whuuuuuuut ?!?) It was crazy-fabulous and made for a very nice run!

The temp hadn't changed much by the time I swung home and tag-teamed running partners. Pit Crew #2 was all ready to go, so we grabbed water bottles and took off! This was her first go at 7 miles, so I reminded her from the get-go that we were going to start off quite slow and find our pace as we went. It's important to do that no matter how far we're going so as not to burn all of your energy right out of the gate, but it's double important (to me, at least) when you're not sure how a new distance is going to feel. I'm just a mom trying to impart some wisdom. Or, at least a plan. Or, at least a reason that I'm slower than she at the start. Ha!

Even though the temp felt nice, it was even nicer to come across a really long line of sprinklers!!

Unexpected sprinkler action!! Yahoo!!!

Okay, so in another couple of miles, we get to a few yards away from a pretty righteous hill (one even she doesn't call "little" ... remember that noise?) when I checked in with her with the following exchange:
Me: When we get to that hill, do you want to run it or walk it?
PC#2: I'm fine. We can run it. Can you run it?
Me: I can run it.
PC#2: But, what do you want to do? You've been running longer.
Me: I want to walk it. So, we'll just have to see if I bail.

Spoiler alert: I didn't bail. But, upon hitting the top, I called an immediate water-walk break, and I thoroughly enjoyed every sip and step! Truth be told, so did PC#2. She's wrapped up in the finish, not the form!

I routed us through my favorite go-to Drive-Thru to scope money and found a very disappointing zero, but at another, we found a penny to add to another dime I'd already found (and to two I found before finishing). That's right ... today took me over the $9 mark!!! YAHOO!!! And, there's still four months to go before donation day!!!

This route also took us by a welcomed gas station where we not only refilled our water bottles ...

Mmmm ... very cold water ... freezes my hand for a while in
the water bottle but totally worth it ...

... but, it is here where we heard a woman going nutty on her phone. It went like this: "You'd better get over here because your son locked himself in my car!" (The kid couldn't have been much older than two, and he was being quite the little monkey in the car. Funny but not all at the same time! It's just not something you come across every day! I have no idea how long it took to unlock that car; we figured we should just get on our way ...)

Our water refill was a good call especially as we quite decidedly picked up pace for the last few miles. That can happen when there's no humidity! I congratulated PC#2 somewhere between miles 6 and 7 for going her farthest distance yet even though I wasn't really sure when she actually passed mile 6 ... whoops. It was probably pretty unceremonious as I suddenly said, "Hey, you've now gone farther than you ever have. I really don't know where that happened, but you did." Frankly, PC#2 seemed very pleased with the acknowledgement even without any fanfare! (Fanfare ... anyone else remember we got prizes last week for running fewer miles? JUST SAYIN'. hee hee) And, with 23 cents and half a water bottle left to enjoy on the cool-down walk, we finished with smiles on ...

Whee!! It was a most-miles run for PC#2!

... and, we came home to a puppy who was all ready to have a seat for her finisher's picture!

"You can't forget me, mommy!! I went,
too! Remember?!"

"I shall now look longingly into the
distance ..."

With 18 miles between us this morning, that is a wrap!! Our runs together aren't perfect as we continue to iron out a wrinkle here and there (we're only human), but I am having a lot of fun running with my girl! More of that to come on Monday's scheduled run, but, before then, it's Rest Day! We will see you then!