RUN: 18.67 miles in 3hrs. 30K! 9:38m/m
Running has become my escape. Is that such a bad thing? I run to get away. Or better yet, maybe I'm running away. The plan for today was just 2.5hrs, but it felt so good I kept going. No phone (muted), no email, no manuscript, no to-do list. Just me and the road. Me and footsteps and air. The LSD drug I'm addicted to with these Long Slow Distance runs is unbeatable. Except maybe by the thrill of speed on the bike, but that's another training phase.
The plan was to leave at 6am, got up at 430 and everything, but it was still dark! So some housework, visited with husband (dont' get much of that lately) and left at 7am. The plan was a Park Tour: Lafayette to Benton to TGP to FP. Parks are nice, running is nice, so it all sounded good.
Made it to LP, looped LP, then decided I should include the Arch Park to make sure I get the full 15-16 miles planned. This took me thru downtown. Have I ever mentioned just how much dSTL stinks? Ugh, garbage, dumpster, exhaust, ick. Made it to the AP, where I realized I could run across the Eads!! Cool!! I've never run across a state line before, and somewhere around mile 5.5 I did it! The other side of the Eads was dumpy, so I didn't linger there. Back to Missouri.
Then to the AP, the sidewalks of which were under construction. Nice. Whatever. Off to LaClede's landing. Once I got there, I realized how close I was to 9 miles and to the MRT. I've never run on the MRT, just biked, and that was years ago. It's a trail through the industrial areas along the river. But no traffic, so I went for it. I guessed it was 5 miles from dSTL to work, so I'll round out my mileage here. I was feeling great, eating good, drinking good. I felt like I could run a circle around STL today! I was struggling however with math. I'm at 9 now...I want to run out and back and end up at 11...so that's 2 ...no 1.5... no 1 mile out and back. Duh. But by the time I figured this out I was at 11 miles meaning I ran some extra. By this time I'd had enough of the MRT. Dirty, stinky, concrete, homeless people in tents, junk along the trail. Ick. Stick to biking it so you go by the junk faster!
So I turn around, and come across a sign that said FP 5.5 miles away. Oh, that means I get 11+5.5=18 miles! Wait, 11+5.5 =/= 18. It = 16.5. G0D my maths sucks when I'm running.
So I went back through LLanding, then started the slow climb off the river front. It's just a series of long slow hills all the way to campus. By this time, my idea of circling STL today had tempered. Maybe I'll just stop at campus. But I'm still chugging along, enjoying Wash Ave. Until mile 16 when I roll my left foot AGAIN. Same stop, same pain, but I don't think I broke anything. (Hours later as I write this, it hurts a bit). I keep going, reaching campus at 17.7 miles So much for the sign saying 5.5 miles, cuz FP is still half mile away!
Overall, awesome run. The post-run buzz was long lasting :) Tomorrow is 11-12 miles of me and the road. The plan called for 20 today and 9 tomorrow, so I'm shooting for 30 miles over the 2 days combined. Hopefully I'm not as tired as I was last week.
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