It's hard to run 14 miles in town! And the pavement is hard too!

RUN 14.3 miles in 2:20, easy aerobic run from home

I had trouble starting this run, and it was all mental and motivation. I wanted to run, no doubt I was going to run. The trouble was in deciding where to go! I could go anywhere I wanted to go with no time constraint. So my mind tumbles over this all morning. I don't really wanna run FoPa again, two loops there, or even doing the Wyd out-n-back I thought about...eh...not interested. Running from home was another option, but where to go? I even mapped out a run to Home Depot to get the faucet part...eh...looks boring. And besides, it wasn't 14 miles there and back again!

The plan only called for a 10-miler, but I got it in my head that if tomorrow's weather got bad as predicted I might not get tomorrow's goal of 20 miles. Also, we were running Chubb which is only 15 out n back, so those were my 2 excuses for running extra today.

So I walk the dog, drag my feet, think about it...finally decide to run random from the house. Didn't leave until almost 9am.

I head north then east to LPark area, wander around there and around the park. All the while trying to map 14 miles in my head. 2x7 mile loops? 4x3+ loops? Sometimes I think running the 1 mile around the CHP even seems inviting. It just sounds so ... short. But FOURTEEN (14) times?!? WTF am I thinking? I'm not, and that's the problem.

Anyway, I'm 3-4 miles in when I decide to exit LP and head to Soulard/Benton. On the way I take Laf across the super busy 44/55/Truman on/off ramp area. I knew better, even thought to myself 'I should run the less confusing north side'. But no. I stick to the south side. I just looked at Google maps and saw FIVE (5) crossings: a driveway/44 on combo, 44 off, 55 on, another 55 on, 55 off. It's like being Frogger crossing median to median, looking left-right repeatedly to track all the incoming oncoming stopped moving traffic as well as the curbs. Sounds complicated, right?

Well it is, but apparently smooth, new pavement is even more so. As I was watching a semi coming onto 44 to my left and a pickup coming off 44 to my right, I stepped off the first curb and WHAM down on the ground. I landed and rolled through the right side, hitting hard my elbow, hip, and knee. Less hard my right wrist and left and holding the handheld bottle. Right in the middle of the intersection, so that left the cars waiting for me! I stand up, look for what I could blame this on -- nothing!!-- turn to the waiting semi and give the "I'm OK" hand signal, and run off as if nothing had happened. I at least tried to make it look that way.

But in reality, OUCH! Finally my mind wakes up and gets involved in the actual business of running, and not just calculating the run. I continue to Soulard, meander past the brewery, get to Cherokee, hit 7 miles, then take Cherokee west thinking I'd hit Grand eventually. I'm feeling good, I hurt, but energy and all doing good. As I'm approaching Grand, I realize I don't know where Grand meets Cherokee. Until I hit that super annoying intersection near the Schnucks, and I realize Oh yeah, Grand and Cherokee DON'T intersect! Schnucks becomes my refill/empty/fuel stop, where I hear a woman in the next toilet stall apparently pulling off the entire roll of toilet paper (?), and see another women pawing though garbage cans (?), and more weird people than I can count. Maybe I'm the one who looks weird? I'm the one wearing fluorescent clothing and tights! I checked my injuries, some skin loss on the elbow, a little bit on the knee, hip looks OK. I can thank the two shirts I wore for the protection!

I head out, doing the math...just over 7 miles in....just hit 8...OK head to TGP and out n back. I had a gel in Schnucks and now I'm feeling a little more perky. Around the park, up the MoBot trail, avoided my commute route and went to McRee....and finally used a short loop to Nebraska to round it out. I stopped at an even time, 2:20.

I felt great, I kept it easy, didn't push or hold back. Walked a few times but not much.

And speaking of walking, Shoogs and I did 5.7 miles total today! 2.5 before the run (expected to be tired or have bad weather in the afternoon) and 3.2 miles with RM and D in TGP later in the day. Whew!

Entranced by a video

Pet'ri'chor: A smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a period of warm, dry weather.

45F?! OK, I'll run today!

RUN 5.6 miles in 53 mins
COMMUTE 6.4 miles

Last night I wasn't sure if I would run this morning or not. Fatigue had me thinking of a 3-beat weekend with a short Friday run. But when I kicked the dog out at 4am (her alarm went off early) and I felt how warm it was, I decided to run today. Especially once I saw that tomorrow would be colder.

But I didn't count on the wind. WOOOO wind out of the west really kicked things up. I ran with BS and Jeff (funny, Bill and Jeff, but not that Bill and Jeff!) who were looking for shorter runs. J has a Sunday half in Cali so 4 miles, BS had a 5.5 mile goal. We did the zoo loop with J, then an out n back to hit B's goal. Aside from the wind whipping us around, this felt surprisingly good.

I Blerched at home and didn't leave until almost 10am!!!!! By the time I stretched, showered, ate, walked dog...ate more...I was really behind schedule. I need to be more mindful of that, it only sets me up for loooooong days at work and coming home in the dark. And to be honest, I was dreading a bit the headwind I was about to face riding to work. PanZ!

But I felt better today once it got rolling. But I really need sleep. And my GI is upset, both this morning and this afternoon. Not sure why, prolly the off day yesterday.

3+6+3+1.5+3+3+1.5= TIRED!

RUN 12.3 miles, cumulative time 1:54
COMMUTE 6.4 miles

Whew what a day. I had a 13 hour assay with 3hr timepoints. The original plan was to run to work at 6am, work, run home, walk dog, run back, work, then run home again to get in 4x3miles. A four-a-day! But that didn't sound like a great idea, especially for that afternoon run. So I changed it to run to work at 6am, work, run FoPa during the incubation, run home, walk dog, bike back. That way I get a bonus ride and save time, and I won't be sitting at lab in that first step, and I'll be saving time because running takes 30 mins while biking only 20-ish.

Up at 4:30, left house with a light brekkie at 6. Mummsie was tracking me, oddly this kept me on schedule more. The run to work felt great, no Camelbak, but my back was still uncomfy. Got my stuff done (all 15 mins of it!) then headed to Forest Park for a 6 mile out n back.

I saw a bald eagle getting brekkie in Jeff Lake, swooping and shopping for the most juicy sweet. I saw DD from my old lab biking by. I saw a gorgeous sunrise over the hospital. The early bird definitely got the best fish today!

A few more mins of work, then a run home fueled by sport beans. Can you believe I forgot to bring a water bottle? Once home I stretched and rolled, showered, walked dog, then ate. I was 30 mins behind my schedule and didn't get back until almost noon. 3hr time points vs 3.5 hr....what's the diff?! Eeek!

By the afternoon, I was crashing. Tired. Not hungry, hydrated, but tired! Once my last 530 timepoint was done (to be honest it was 5:15, 9 hr time point vs 8.75 hr...what's the diff?! I rode home, dead tired but doing OK.

On my run home I thought about how this was good ultra training. Lots of low aerobic activity. Start-Stops like from aid stations.

I kept crashing all the more once home, but the need to go back one more time kept me going. Poor Shoogs, just didn't have a lot of time for her. Although she did get 2x1.5 miles WALKIES! And extra PB cookies :)

Doubting if I'll do the Thursday run, it will be a wake and see call.

Like a cool spring day, so I ran an extra mile :)

RUN 5 miles in 46 mins, about a 9:10 pace
COMMUTE 6.4 miles, legs kinda dead

I got another late start this morning, didn't get out the door to run until 6:45! Yes, that's late. The thermometer said high 30's, but without wind it seemed warmer than that. So I went out the door in two tech shirts and no coat, was just find. By the time the sun came up, it was like a cold spring day, and I couldn't resist an extra mile.

Kept Blerching my way through the morning, did my stretching before a shower, ate brekkie, then did WALKIES. Grabbed an extra mile there too. Poor dog.

All that felt great, but I was a bit dead in the legs for the ride into work, and was dragging most of the morning there too. Awake, good mood, just a bit sludgy. Another word might be feeling 'heavy'. And I've got a long run planned for tomorrow, another multi-commute multi-run day. I'd better plan that carefully.

My back is now competing with my arm muscles for attention. That swim yesterday stirred things up!

Tested the new Caribbean blue Adrenaline 14's with orthotics and lock laces. Big improvement in those shoes to have the lock laces in. Test went well. That was on my to-do list for so long!

Well it's about time I saw a pool again

SWIM just under an hour, 2050y
COMMUTE 6.4 miles

I didn't realize that I haven't been to the pool since Dec 19th! Had to scroll back through TrainingPeaks to find that. Wow!

I almost didn't go. Of course it's so easy at 430am to think "oh what's another week" and "don't wanna face friends with bad news", but it's also so easy to feel guilty about it hours later and regret not going! So I went. Also, TH said she'd 'see me if I go'. Little peer pressure, little guilt, what do ya get? A swim!

And on top of that TH wasn't there! Same sickness that kept her out of yesterday's run kept her home today. However, TG is now swimming with us, haven't seen here in a long time.

The MS were 4x25, 4x50, 4x100, 4x50, 4x25 sprints with a 200 pull in between each. I did mostly pulling towards the middle of the session because my back wasn't happy. The pull buoy didn't make it any happier though! I could feel a tight 'ping' under my right shoulder blade. But otherwise the swim felt good. Didn't time anything, didn't want the pressure after having not swam for so long. Even though I didn't realize just how long!

I bought new goggles...oh... a few weeks ago now? Finally tested them. SOOOOOO much better than the previous, but a bit too tight.

Good to see the group, even if I barely had time to chat and didn't go into my life sob story at all. SM and NK know, they were my support group today.

Learning to dance in the rain

RUN 9 miles in 1:19, 8:47 pace!



This is the quote from this evening's tea tag. Even my tea is telling me to buck up and get moving on life.

The run was pretty amazing, I usually consider this last run of the week, if after a long trail run, to be my "most breakable run" in which I would be most prone to injury. Wasn't expecting it to be one of my best runs of the week! DT and IT joined me for a light rain loop of FoPa. That's why the pace was faster -- I was trying to keep up! Talked to DT, been wanting to all week once I learned he'd be there today.

So 54 miles this week, no injury! My blisters are healing up, my back is what it is. I'm foam rolling and heating and resting it.

Phase 2 today, not perfect but I'm aware of the changes and am able to stop the process sometimes. It's good to recognize and admit, but not get stuck doing just that! Another thing I realized today is I am still in the habit reading into his words and wondering what they mean. Today's visit was positive, not what I feared it would be. My fear was coming from a over-reading and a feeling of no control. Can't avoid that feeling sometimes, but again, I can recognize it.

It rained most of the day, more of a misty rain really. Great start to the next phase. So like the quote above says, I can't wait for things to come to me, or wait for the worst to be over. I need to dance in the moment and make changes in the now. I know what is going on, I know what changes I want to make. Quit looking for the clear skies after the clouds, get out there NOW.

NUMERICS 9 hours, doesn't include bike commute or walks or stretching!
Swim -- nope
Bike -- nope
Run -- 54 miles in 9 hours

Bike Commute -- 12.8 miles
WALKIES -- 24 miles!!
and all 7 days had at least 15 mins of mindful stretching, rolling, or strength