On Sunday morning I got up at 6:00 AM to get ready for my long run. Yesterday was a comical event (if you have amusement). I was getting set for another chase run. YaYa’s bike had a flat. Wonderful! I didn’t have time to mess with it, so I just pumped it up and hoped for the best. When we arrived at the trail, I took the bike out of my Mommy-Van only to find that it was low on air (but not flat). By then YaYa wanted to ride so we headed out on the trail. I could hear the tire getting lower and lower on air. At mile 1 we turned back. At 1.5 miles, I had YaYa get off and we both ran back to the van. We loaded up and headed for the nearby track where I got the balance of my 6 mile pace run. 6.03 miles (51 minutes).
At 7:15 AM I arrived at the park for today’s run. A smile came to my face as I drove through the gates. The sun was just coming up; fluffy white clouds and fog hovered over the hills. This is my favorite place to run. The plan for today’s run is 11 miles. I met two friends and we set off at an easy pace. The biggest hill on the trail is about 2 miles up. It’s steep and tough. I watched as my friends gradually got farther and farther ahead. My breathing wasn’t easy. I wished that I was running alone so that I wouldn’t be worried about my pace in relation to theirs. My heart rate was up and my breathing was rapid. I walked for a couple of minutes and then resumed my running. At the top of this hill Cindy and Mark were waiting for me. “Take your time,” Cindy says with a smile. I have to admit that I wanted to flip her off. I felt so slow and humbled. When I finally reached the top, I glanced at my watch and found that I was right on target for the pace that I like to run this route. I felt better knowing that and considered having given up 1 pint of my blood probably did have an affect on my ability to run up the hill with ease.
The remainder of the run felt good. After the big hill, the rest of the run rolls up and down. It’s beautiful here. We went 8 minutes past our 4.75 mark and then turned back. 11 miles (1:40:43)