10.5 mile training run + the Skirt Chaser 5K

Ok – lets start this with maybe the idea of a long training run plus a 5K was a bit nutty. Alright pretty insane but I lived to tell the tale – no significant injury. (No PR either)

What a muggy, humid, nasty day for a run this proved to be.

At O’dark thirty we started off with the 10 mile training run that was rerouted on both the east and west bank of the river trails (I tried to snap some pics for you but the crakberry camera does not like to work well while running and in the dark). I went out for approx 3 miles with my group and returned to grab my couch to 5K’ers. Saturday they increased to 5-1’s and did pretty good. We did a 3 mile loop ok so I only had a 4 mile make up after I dropped them off. As I have mentioned before I just do not trust the ipod sensor so I wound up going a full 10.5 miles just to make sure I didn’t short myself.

On mile 6 I started to get a slight headache so I opened my very first ever gu. One word – yuck. Slimy, too sweet, bad flavor. Eeewww. I just took a few swallows. But the headache vanished instantly. This I can live with. I rolled the top down and shoved it back into one of the handy pockets on my new racing skirt (link to come soon) that I am test driving. On I ran. I continued to sample the gu for the remainder of the run and finished feeling ok. Soaked in sweat but ok. This would not have been the case with out the gu.

Had a dill pickle when I was done – man I am not a pickle fan but that tasted AMAZING!

That being said I think from here on out 6+ miles get a gu or something. Lately I have just taken to snacking when I return to get the couch group and drop them off – I want to make sure I am used to eating while on the go so for now I will only be snacking at the tables when I am done.

I headed home to shower and nap before round to at 5:30 PM

Later that day we headed on to the Skirt Chaser 5K at the Scottish games. I didn’t feel like paying the $5 for parking so we parked about a mile away and walked. Once in the gate at the Scottish games I took a moment to review the festival and then seek shade. No sense in putting yourself in the heat any longer than necessary.

Time arrived and we lined up with a ‘bang’ from the starter pistol we were off. The first mile I was going very strong – but there was little shade toward the end of mile 1 and I began to slow. I thought there would be water at miles 1 and 2 – I thought wrong and my decision to not run with my water bottle proved to be a bad idea. By the time I hit 1.5 I was pretty much done. I was walking – not running . I could see 2 of my Couch girls ahead of me and one slightly behind me – against my advise 1 of my couchers came to run 3 miles in the am. (I had told the group if they were running the 5K that night to not run 3 miles in the am). And she was hurting just like me. At this point I decided it would be best for both of us if I gave up on hitting a new PR and we finished together. We chatted, and encouraged one another. We made a agreement we would do 1/1’s until we saw the finish and would run the remainder.

We rounded the bend and the finish came into view and I took off. Each step quickened my stride lengthened and I R-A-N like I have never ran before. 45:24 isnt a time to brag about but the 14 miles I did in one day is a new milestone for me. And that I think I can brag about.

Afterward I went to the aid station (aka beer tent) and enjoyed 2 Belhaven Ale’s after all I do run so I can drink lol.

After all this excessive running I had anticipated very sore legs. Not so much - today what is killing me is my shoulders.

many thanks to my bestie for staying out in the sun to get these photos and to my other friends for showing up to support my running madness. love you all