A Taste of Things To Come

So I had decided after doing the half on Sunday to take a few days off to build up my desire to run again. By Tuesday, as the sore ankles and foot were feeling a little better, and as nerves started to creep in that in a few short days registration for the marathon will open, the desire to run was back :) I did wait until Wednesday, after Aarik was at work for more than twelve hours that day I had to escape the jungle of stay at home motherhood. I ran Wednesday and Thursday evenings and made a little more time this week for weight training.

By the time I had let Aarik and the big kids sleep in a little this morning, and ate my breakfast I was feeling pretty good about setting a mileage goal for today's run. Somewhere between five and ten miles. Nothing too set in stone, but a goal nonetheless. I then decided that since I wasn't able to get out to buy some mace this week (so many wonderful people in our neighborhood let their overly aggressive dogs out, without supervision or a leash and I'm ready to take my Saturday mornings back from those jerks) I would drive to my moms neighborhood to run. When I finally got started around 8:30 I remembered why you can't start a long run that late in the morning living in the South.

Two reasons: heat and humidity. Ugh. Today was a slow, grueling, long but not so long six miler. My legs felt strong, but I don't know that my lungs ever opened up, they seem humidity resistant at the moment. When the water bottle I filled this morning was empty after 4.5 miles of watching people loading their cars for the lake, and pull out their blow up pools, I was more than ready to head back in. Luckily today wasn't an official training day, and luckily I have a friend who would prefer to get up and start running at 6 am on Saturday's starting next week. It would appear that my only logical choice for the next few months is early morning long runs. I also read this and this to make sure I'll be doing everything I need to in the coming months of much worse heat and humidity and much longer runs. Friday is registration day... I'll let you know how that goes. Our church does a 5k every Memorial day that Aarik may go run as his last race until November and I'm hoping we can get the monkey's out in the yard for some grilling, sprinkler and blow up pool playing, junk food eating holiday weekend fun. Healthier eating can wait until next week, right?!