Long Run Today

It was overcast and cool when I began, but the sun popped out about halfway through the run. I stopped once for water at 6.5 miles. I ran slow and steady this morning and ran hard at the end.

Distance--10.05 miles with 2 big hills
Time--1:40:38
Pace--10.01/mi

Our family went to the Kris Allen (Amercian Idol top three) homecoming parade and concert last night. It was a lot of fun! We were pretty far from him, but they had the large screen up so we could see. His brother introduced him and he sang three songs. There was an estimated 15,000 people there! We have never had a contestant live so close to us, so it was a lot of fun to be a part of it! Kris is a worship leader at a church and his pastor got up and prayed before the concert. I wonder if that part will be on American Idol Tuesday?

It Is HOT Today!

Usually Thursday is my rest day...but with the sun shining bright and Abigail needing to run a 2 mile run for soccer, I decided to run this afternoon. The first 2 miles with Abigail went well. We ran a pretty good pace and stayed right under 9 minute miles. She went home; I kept going.

The heat made it really hard today. I think it got close to 90 degrees today. I had to walk up a hill that I usually run up with no problem...but I just felt like I could get too hot. I didn't want to take that chance at all!

I have decided there are 2 things I really love about running...the hot shower/bath after a cold run and the cool breeze in the shade after a hot run! When I finished today there was a nice shady area across the street from my house where I walked to cool down. A nice breeze kicked in and it felt so good!!! Awww....so nice!

Distance--4.87 miles
Time--46:41
Pace--9:35/mi

Am I A Real Runner?

I ran this morning right after a hard rain shower...so there were puddles all over the road. I was a little more tired today...but still pushed and ran hard at times. Two middle aged joggers(men)commented on me being a *real* runner. I laughed and said..."not really, but I try". They said, "well, you look like one anyway"...I said,"It must be the shoes!" They said, "No, it must be how fast you are going!" We laughed!

That conversation made me laugh...afterall, we all know that I am not fast at all....but to them, I was doing well. I took it as a compliment and kept going.

Distance--4.64 mi
Time--43:.29
Pace--9:21/mi....it sure felt faster than this!

Sunshine and Honeysuckles!

I was so thankful to see the sun rising as I ran up a hill this morning...once I reached the top the sun was shining very brightly in my face! Such a beautiful sight after so much rain! I think the sun gave me a reason to run just a little farther today! I wanted to just soak it in!

I ran by 2 honeysuckle patches this morning, too. They must be blooming right now. My pace slowed greatly so I could just take in the fragrant aroma of the sweet honeysuckles...I love that smell!!! It reminds me of my childhood...running barefoot in the grass, being carefree, and enjoying being outside for hours.

This is what running is all about to me. I loved it today!


Distance--7.06 mi
Time--1:08:13
Pace--9:39/mi

Shoes

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a specialty running store on Friday. I thought that since we were needing to spend extra on a new floor and new tires, that my new running shoes would have to wait. But...my sweet husband surprised me with a runner's world magazine subscription and a trip to the running store that I had been wanting to visit! It was so fun!

First of all, the kind runner woman had me run in my old shoes. Then she measured my foot and felt the way my old shoes fit me. I was wearing a whole size too small! Can you believe that? I'm so glad I went and was fitted...I don't think I would have ever gone up a whole size on my own. She also showed me the bottom of my shoes and said I was a mild supinator...because I was wearing my sole out on the outer heel. She said I needed a moderate stability shoe with some cushioning. The asics gel nimbus(what I have been wearing) is strictly a cushion shoe and I need more support. I tried on 5 pair--a Nike, Asics, Saucony, Brooks, and Mizuno. After running in each one, I decided on this pair:



I also loved the way the Mizuno felt on my foot, but she said that with me increasing my distance, the saucony was going to be more supportive for longer distances.

I ran in them for the first time this morning and I really like them. The store was great and really helpful. I definitely will be going back from now on!

Distance--4.46 rolling hills...no big ones today!
Time--41:53
Pace--9:23/mi

10k Results and Pictures

Here is a recap of our day! I woke up at about 5:15am to eat a little(2 pieces of whole wheat toast and a cup of green tea) and get ready for my first race. We left the house at about 6:30 to arrive at the race destination at 7:30 for an 8am start. When we left the house it was thundering and lightning and raining very hard! Then about half way there it started to just drizzle and clear a little, so we thought it might turn out okay. We were VERY wrong. Oh, the craziness. Life is usually very calm for us...but this week we have had water damage to our playroom(have to replace the floors), a tire blowout on the way to the zoo, and a 10k in a storm.

I ran my first race in a full fledged thunderstorm...with lightning and everything. I even jumped a couple of times during the run...the thunder was so loud. Thankfully I had sprayed my jacket with water repellant earlier in the week...like that was really going to help?! Nothing was going to keep me from getting completely drenched. I went through water puddles that were probably six inches or more deep at times...splashing and trudging along. I'm so glad I wore my old Asics and not my new shoes. A few times I was running along with someone and we were laughing at how ridiculous this was...while trying to avoid and dodge huge lakes of water as we turned corners and hit low areas of road. Such funny memories!

I felt pretty warm running even though it was pretty cool out. The actual cold hit when we were waiting for the results in the field house...Abigail and I were soaked and our bodies were cooling off from the run...the shivers hit. We were freezing!!! I did have a dry sweatshirt to put on, which helped so much! That warm bath felt so good after getting home! It has NEVER felt so good!

But, I must say it was really fun and I enjoyed being in a race. The whole time I was running I was thanking God for the ability to run in this race...and also asking Him to protect me from the lightning. I faced some real fears today and God was so kind to help me through them!

Here is my official race time from the timing chip on my shoe.

Distance--6.2 miles
Time--57:33
Pace--9:17/mi

I placed 7th in my age group and was 2 seconds behind 6th place. All in all, I did well, met my goal of it being under an hour, and ran pretty hard for me. I was very happy with my time especially considering the weather.

Abigail's 5k time:

Distance--3.1 miles
Time--30:11
Pace--9:45

She placed 6th in her age group! I was very proud of her.

These pictures are after the race...my red shirt is literally dripping wet and I am shivering...they are not the greatest pictures. Evie and Jack Henry were signed up for the tadpole trot and it was canceled due to the weather...they still received a ribbon, which I thought was nice.

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