STILL IN LOW BUT FINALLY OUT OF NEUTRAL.
Saturday was supposed to be a "race" day. I had really wanted to do a 15k hilly race, One Hill of a Race. I found it last week so hadn't signed up yet. I was mainly waiting to see if the weather was going to cooperate. It if rained/snowed, I was going to shop!
It didn't rain or snow until later in the day BUT somehow I overslept. I had a very restless and disturbed sleep the night before, having gone to bed early but then waking up at midnight and making the mistake of turning on TV to see what time it was. And naturally, I had to watch When Harry Met Sally,which I haven't seen in ages! I really expected to watch about 10 min. and fall back to sleep, BUT at 2 am I was still awake.
Thus, oversleeping Saturday morning. I didn't set an alarm because the race was to start at 9 and surely I would be awake by my usual 6, so why bother? That backfired as you can see.
So Don mentioned the Run for Ryan idea, which he read that morning in the paper about a group meeting for this purpose.
"We can just go do that instead. Let's find out where they are meeting."
We looked it up on the store's website, but finally concluded it was to start at 7:35 and it was already after 8 am.
"We can just go run ourselves," I said. "That's farther than you've been going in a long time anyway." And, I thought, will probably be faster than I have gone in YEARS!
We dressed for the weather, around 32 degrees, but it really didn't feel too bad because while it was gray and cold, there was no wind. And no rain or snow yet either.
We decided to run around the lake, which with a few detours could be stretched out to 6 miles if we wanted. I wasn't betting on that but just decided to see how far we could get. Since our run the other day, I had felt both energized and wiped out at the same time, so that was a good mixture for me. It meant I had worked hard enough to feel it but was excited by the feeling it gave me too.
We started out at an easy pace. On this route, there is always someone out running, walking, dog walking, biking, or what have you, no matter the weather. Today was no different. Its also an area where over half of our local races take place, including the triathlon. A popular place. And its a great course because of the varied terrain, from rolling to flat to steep, and the scenery varies as well from the lake to wooded, to wetlands, to some fabulous homes. We were going to try to spot the $7.7 million house that belonged to a doctor now in the news for defauding insurance companies and Medicare and reusing needles and sutures on patients. Watch for that story on Dateline sometime soon, I can bet.
When we hit the first long incline, Don needed to stretch out his Achilles. Even though we only took a few steps, it gave me a chance to catch my breath, which I realized was coming fast. I was breathing harder than normal again but my legs felt great! We started out again before cresting the hill and then it was down the steep other side, down to the residential area. Just before we had stopped, a young girl passed us, and the "old" Don might have picked up the pace to keep up with her, but the "current" Don stayed with me. To a point. He still was getting slightly ahead of me, making me work harder to keep up. By the time we got to 2 miles, I was really breathing hard, but not gasping, and still able to say a word or two, but for the most part we just ran. It was late enough in the morning now that the majority of people we saw were walkers. We figured anyone who met for the 5.5 run was long gone.
The next incline found us again walking a few steps, and again I was glad to be catching my breath. But I recovered quickly each time. We continued on until he reached the steepest hill, about a 1/4 mile almost straight up hill, that continued on after you turned the corner at the top. Again, the "old" Don would have made me push it up the hill, but the "current" Don still was struggling with the Achilles, so I was more than happy to walk after we got half way up. From here, its at 3 miles, still 1 mile to the car, so we needed to do some detouring to get in another 1.5 miles after that. This is where we went through a subdivision of some more fabulous homes, and finally did spot the $7.7 million home. We talked about what could possibly make a home that expensive, so my mind was off running, making it a great way to enjoy the day!
By the time we got to the last half mile, it was mostly on a downgrade from there to the car, so I could tell Don was pushing it some. He even said, "when I see the traffic light at the corner, that's where I start picking up the pace." And that's what he did. I followed as closely as possible, so I was happy about my effort here too. I'm telling you though, when we got done I was glad to stop! I looked at my watch for the first time and saw--I can't believe this--54:19. That was for 5.5 miles with walking!
I asked Don if he knew how fast we were running. I didn't want to get my hopes up until I heard it from him. "Under 10s for the most part." Under 10s?? Me?? Whoa!
Saturday was supposed to be a "race" day. I had really wanted to do a 15k hilly race, One Hill of a Race. I found it last week so hadn't signed up yet. I was mainly waiting to see if the weather was going to cooperate. It if rained/snowed, I was going to shop!
It didn't rain or snow until later in the day BUT somehow I overslept. I had a very restless and disturbed sleep the night before, having gone to bed early but then waking up at midnight and making the mistake of turning on TV to see what time it was. And naturally, I had to watch When Harry Met Sally,which I haven't seen in ages! I really expected to watch about 10 min. and fall back to sleep, BUT at 2 am I was still awake.
Thus, oversleeping Saturday morning. I didn't set an alarm because the race was to start at 9 and surely I would be awake by my usual 6, so why bother? That backfired as you can see.
So Don mentioned the Run for Ryan idea, which he read that morning in the paper about a group meeting for this purpose.
"We can just go do that instead. Let's find out where they are meeting."
We looked it up on the store's website, but finally concluded it was to start at 7:35 and it was already after 8 am.
"We can just go run ourselves," I said. "That's farther than you've been going in a long time anyway." And, I thought, will probably be faster than I have gone in YEARS!
We dressed for the weather, around 32 degrees, but it really didn't feel too bad because while it was gray and cold, there was no wind. And no rain or snow yet either.
We decided to run around the lake, which with a few detours could be stretched out to 6 miles if we wanted. I wasn't betting on that but just decided to see how far we could get. Since our run the other day, I had felt both energized and wiped out at the same time, so that was a good mixture for me. It meant I had worked hard enough to feel it but was excited by the feeling it gave me too.
We started out at an easy pace. On this route, there is always someone out running, walking, dog walking, biking, or what have you, no matter the weather. Today was no different. Its also an area where over half of our local races take place, including the triathlon. A popular place. And its a great course because of the varied terrain, from rolling to flat to steep, and the scenery varies as well from the lake to wooded, to wetlands, to some fabulous homes. We were going to try to spot the $7.7 million house that belonged to a doctor now in the news for defauding insurance companies and Medicare and reusing needles and sutures on patients. Watch for that story on Dateline sometime soon, I can bet.
When we hit the first long incline, Don needed to stretch out his Achilles. Even though we only took a few steps, it gave me a chance to catch my breath, which I realized was coming fast. I was breathing harder than normal again but my legs felt great! We started out again before cresting the hill and then it was down the steep other side, down to the residential area. Just before we had stopped, a young girl passed us, and the "old" Don might have picked up the pace to keep up with her, but the "current" Don stayed with me. To a point. He still was getting slightly ahead of me, making me work harder to keep up. By the time we got to 2 miles, I was really breathing hard, but not gasping, and still able to say a word or two, but for the most part we just ran. It was late enough in the morning now that the majority of people we saw were walkers. We figured anyone who met for the 5.5 run was long gone.
The next incline found us again walking a few steps, and again I was glad to be catching my breath. But I recovered quickly each time. We continued on until he reached the steepest hill, about a 1/4 mile almost straight up hill, that continued on after you turned the corner at the top. Again, the "old" Don would have made me push it up the hill, but the "current" Don still was struggling with the Achilles, so I was more than happy to walk after we got half way up. From here, its at 3 miles, still 1 mile to the car, so we needed to do some detouring to get in another 1.5 miles after that. This is where we went through a subdivision of some more fabulous homes, and finally did spot the $7.7 million home. We talked about what could possibly make a home that expensive, so my mind was off running, making it a great way to enjoy the day!
By the time we got to the last half mile, it was mostly on a downgrade from there to the car, so I could tell Don was pushing it some. He even said, "when I see the traffic light at the corner, that's where I start picking up the pace." And that's what he did. I followed as closely as possible, so I was happy about my effort here too. I'm telling you though, when we got done I was glad to stop! I looked at my watch for the first time and saw--I can't believe this--54:19. That was for 5.5 miles with walking!
I asked Don if he knew how fast we were running. I didn't want to get my hopes up until I heard it from him. "Under 10s for the most part." Under 10s?? Me?? Whoa!
8 comments:
Doesn't the wind make a huge difference this time of year?!
Oh Vicki! What a precious day that turned out to be for you both!
Great job!
Of course, if I tried to run in 32 degree weather, I'd bring on an asthma attack so fast it would make my head spin.
Wow, sounds like a great run. The thought of actually going outside in 32 degree weather though, brrrrr..... :)
Did I email you that I wanted a t-shirt?? I can't remember if I did.
That sounds like one great run! I do love those days when there is no wind, even though they are few and far between. A 7.7 million dollar house?? And the guy is a doctor?? That should certainly raise a red flag or two because doctors just don't make that kind of money. At least none of the ones I know. I'll watch for the story.
Nice pace BTW. :-)
woo hoo!!!!
Vickie--Way to go. What a great run!
Great run!!! :-)
WoooHooo Sounds like a great run!! :)
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