She's Back!

What an absolutely gorgeous fall day.  I could NOT resist going for a run in the early afternoon. OK TRUTH I lacked some major focus today.  I ticked off the easy no brainers on the to do list.  When push came to shove I just couldn't muster up the focus to finish up a lagging project needing some serious TLC.   Perfect fall running weather didn't exactly help.  Never mind that I sit with my back to the window, the sun was beaming across my desk.  Of course when I packed for TRX and threw in a variety of running gear, just in case...  If I'm going to lug the gear bag I might as well be prepared for any opportunities which may present themselves!

As I skipped down to the gym to change and hit the pavement there was another runner leaving for an afternoon run.  I grinned from ear to ear and said "It looks gorgeous out there, ENJOY!"  I got the usual smirk and he looked at me like I was looney.  People... we only get to do these moments once, live it up, love it, enjoy it, embrace it!

He's a clock-stupid runner. We crossed paths on a long uphill stretch for me downhill for him.   Nice shady part of the route. Maybe someday I will run the route like everyone else does, feh, Scott never did, I'll keep up the rebel tradition. I did pass the same walker twice.  I did an out and back at Jupiter Point and caught up to her again just before going up and around Avery Point.  Wonder what she thought when I passed her twice.  I stopped at Avery Point a few times to document that my favorite running partner was back!

Hi Friend!  I missed you yesterday!

It was a wonderful run, not a fast run.  Someone did run a rainy wet cold 13.1 yesterday, so she can have a break, right?  Trying to find the best way to snap a pic of my shadow did take a little time, and well, it was so seriously gorgeous outside, why would I want to be inside?

TRX was a full class, which is 4 women and the leader.  Our Spartan Racer showed off her bruises from the Spartan Race two weekends ago in VT.  Still some pretty good looking bruises.  I want to run one of those... running, mud, and bruises, what could be better?

The jury is out if I will sleep like a rock or insomnia will pay a visit.  UGH... guess it is better than waking Hubb up with me singing or swearing in my sleep?

Stats:

Summary

Steady pacing even with the ups and downs!  And of course 4 stops for pics...  

Route - y'all must be bored looking at this upside down native american?

Splits not fast, not slow

Sincerely,
Beth who is glad to have her running buddy back and really really really wants to sleep through the night

Enablers

The weather was perfect for running today.  Breezy, sunny, slight chill in the air.  I packed my long sleeved Team Lung Love jersey in my gear bag and was quite happy to wear it for my lunch time run.  What I forgot was my Garmin.  Luckily I have an iPhone and Map My Fitness so I could see what I did pace wise once I was done.  And since I had my iPhone I also stopped a few times to snap some pictures.  Worked out perfectly as the next run after a long run be a recovery run?  Leaving the Garmin on it's charger in the kitchen was my enabler to run at what ever pace felt right.

My usual route at work.  I seem to run it clockwise while everyone else runs it clockstupid.  I'm not sure why.  I really like the steep hill at the end and the long slow climb at the beginning, rather than the other way around.  But then again Sir GIS Alot was the one who showed me the route to begin with and that is how he ran it so, well, there you go. I'm a creature of habit and training.

The lovely weather and blue skies were my enablers to just stop and snap a few pictures here and there.

I love all the neatly stacked lobster pots and fishing gear!

My route takes me on one out and back and there was a small out and back I took just after that one.  I may explore down there a bit more.  No pictures snapped.  My boxer buddy wasn't out guarding his yard at the end of out and back #1.  My next 'stop' is UCONN's Avery Point Campus, the view of the Long Island Sound behind the buildings was so sparkly.  There are also a bunch of ducks perched on the rock in the middle, sunbathing I imagine!

Then we get into campus a bit and this is the first bit of beauty I see.  Up a set of stairs and on to a brick walk way, and around the point. Lots of interesting sculptures.  I started thinking about how awesome a place this is to work and to run in, and why didn't I marry for money instead of love so I could spend more time enjoying the scenery.

Then I saw this bench, I had never really noticed it before, the flowers caught my eye.  This is why I married for love instead of money.  The feeling of love and contentment just radiated out of that granite bench.  Awwww.

And then it was back on the road and up and around and back to Crazy Land.  

This run enabled me to bear through the rest of my work day, that and a note saying "Sunday 10 a.m. - Inaugural Lions Club 5K in Misquamicut"  Sundays are my long run days, they have been for such a long time that I hate to mess with that equation.  But hey Misquamicut is 5 miles from my house so I can run to the race, run the race, and run home and I'll get in 13. How could that plan fail?

Further enabling me to focus on my work and just plow through and be productive was this popping up in my in-box "6 p.m. Dog Watch, Be There" I haven't heard from this friend in ages.  She is going through some crap and sometimes people just need to be left alone.  I was there at 6 and so was she.  Couple of cocktails and probably the messiest and best burger I've had in eons!  Of course the gossip and chit chat was awesome.  She seems to be doing better, or at least is realizing that she is completely normal.  Don't we all need to be reminded that we are completely normal?

Stats:

Not a fast run, but I did enjoy it and snapped a few pics!

The lines are blurry but there is a second out and back before the Avery Point loop and I have no idea what that blue segment is all about

Pacing is consistent!

Sincerely
Beth who appreciates all who enable her to live each day to its fullest!

LSD

Yesterday someone asked "Who is doing LSD tomorrow?" I love that phrase Long Slow Distance.  Somehow making it OK for the long run to be slow gave me a little more encouragement to be positive about my long run and to, most importantly, take it slow.  Slow and steady gets you to the finish line.

I left the house before 7:30 and walked to the end of the block, already for my new goal: 20 miles.  I would truly be a distance runner when I got back to my home, wow!

I took it slow knowing that I had hobbled a bit yesterday with the PF, yeah that and I did run a 5K race at a decent pace Sat a.m. plus a 3.5 trail run on Friday.  Instead of setting myself up for failure I took it in, ahem, stride and knew that these two events pre-long run were going to present me some over use challenges with this PF injury I continue to nurse as it slowly gets better.  It IS getting better, just slowly.  PF can be beat, or maybe managed.

Everything felt fine before I left the house and pretty much during the whole run.  Porta potty break at Green Haven Marina mile 4.5ish, what am I going to do if they remove this for the winter.  YIKES!!!  The view at the end of the second out and back was stunning as usual.  It was a gorgeous day. Started out a little wet and as the sun woke up the puddles dried.

My heel did start to ache around mile 11 and I fought changing my gait as I knew that would cause other problems. This part of the run there are some steep up hills and down hills so not unexpected.  Keep on keeping on as nothing was in PAIN.

I did have ONE knee tweek when I stopped for water and Gatoraide (mile 13).  This was a pretty lengthy pause maybe two minutes and I stood still for part of it to refill my water belt bottles. 20 or so steps to get everything back moving again and I was fine to continue on.  Only 7 more miles to go.

The usual run back in to RI from CT.  I avoided any incidents at the gas station by crossing over a block or so before.  Seriously drivers we aren't targets, the only points you'll get for hitting us are the ones on your drivers licence.  Oh that and a potential manslaughter charge.

As I would get tired and frustrated, this seems to come and go, weird, or maybe not?  Anyhoodles, my thoughts went to the people in my life. I thought about my friend Marie who also had her very first long run today.   Thought about my BIL and the 250 lb man chasing him and keeping him keeping on.  Thought about Don running a 1/2 this a.m. and how the hell does he run so fast.  Thought about Ann and wished all to be well, it will be, someone just needs to worry and I've nominated myself as that person.  Thought about my husband how he made it a point to stay home until I got home in the event I called desperate for him to pick me up.  Thought about my parents and all the hell with the rebuilt of their house after the fire on December 26th and what a lousy piece of crap to be handed to still not be in their home.  Thought about Cathy and Joe  running for the Brookfield Zoo, go team Pride Rock! Thought about JoAnn, I did not die, and how the hell is her Iron Woman training going, and wouldn't it be nice for my biggest hill to be a boat bridge.  Thought about Wade (unmentionable), Rod he will run again, Sheila how much YARN does she have...

All of these thoughts seem to happen at just the right time, comparing and contrasting the challenges and success these folks experience with my current reality.  We ALL have "opportunities" and we all have chosen to deal positively with these "opportunities".  Impressive.  Perhaps this goes back to peace, and being at peace internally and the positive impact that has on the external world?  Hmmmm....

Just before I got home this guy was cheering me on.  Thanks pup!  I always say "Hi" to all the pups I see when I run.  Dogs are so happy when they are out on a walk, out on a run, or out riding shot gun!

I had aimed for 4 hours to complete the run, I completed in 4:16 (well 4:22 elapsed time).  I'm not going to pick on myself for the 16 minutes (or the 22 minutes).  Krikies 20 miles is tough, tough, tough.  Guess this makes me tough, tough, tough?

Stats:

Overall Stats

I like this because is shows elapsed time.  That and elevation - JoAnn!!! 

Pace / Elevation  -- Stops noted, this makes up the 6 minutes of non moving & elapsed time!

Splits

Route - pretty funky looking, eh?

Sincerely,
Beth who did it!  Damn I really did it!

9.11 Miles in the Books

Today, ah today, the anniversary of that horrible attack on our country and our peace of mind.  I remember where I was and what I was doing and who I was with.  I was at an out of town meeting.  The next day four of us piled in my rental car and drove back East.  I dropped off the three passengers safely to their families in CT and then myself in RI.  It was very surreal dropping the rental car off at the Providence Airport on the 13th of September, it was eerily quiet.

Today I dropped off my bestie at the Providence Airport so she could fly home.  Providence Airport was its usual self.  Comforting, in a way. I've flown several times on 9/11 in the last 11 years, just seems weird to be in an airport on that day.

So what to do with the rest of my day.  *drums fingers*  Well I had to deal with this whole DVR from the cable company and exchange...  gahhhh our ancient TV isn't compatible and I wasn't patient enough to have 'the guy' install it, or rather I didn't want to inconvenience hubb by having him wait around for 'the guy'.  I threw up my hands and said "That's it, we need a new TV."  Hubb said "You just want a new TV you barely watch the damn thing.  This all seems rather pointless."  Point taken.  The rather mundane and routine grocery shopping, vacuuming were mostly completed, laundry may have to wait...  Hubb took the youngest dog out for an adventure flying RC float planes with his buddies.  I went for a run.  My usual route.  It was lovely, really lovely.  I knew the route was about 9 miles, but when I checked my watch a few footsteps from home and it said 9.11  I stopped it.  Fate?

Route

I thought about my friend who lost her boyfriend on 9/11, he was in one of the towers, he jumped, and how that affected her and still does.  A friend who worked in DC near the Pentagon and says it took a long time and Ativan to get things right again. Friends who had friends and family members in the air that day, in NYC and DC. Mostly I just let my mind take in the beauty of the cool day and the nearness of fall.  I think my pacing shows I was fairly relaxed on my usual hilly route and I just feel very centered right now.  Towards the end of the run I saw a shiny penny on the road.  Hmmm, pennies from heaven?

Tomorrow is back to work, the question is do I check my eMail or not?  I certainly will pack my running clothes to hopefully sneak in a run mid day!  Guess if I check eMail now I'll know what the day may have in store and head some issues off at the pass.

Stats:

I am getting more consistent!  Someone asked how many calories I burned running, the Summary chart shows them.  Thought it was a reasonable question.

Summary

Pacing and Elevation

Splits

Sincerely,
Beth who wishes all peace and harmony on this tragic anniversary.