Sunday, July 8, 2012

Flirting With Disaster

July 2 - July 8

Total Mileage - 26.2

Things got serious this week.  I started with a 7 mile run on Monday, a 4 mile run on Tuesday, then a 13.1 mile run on Wednesday.  13.1 for a midweek run?!?  Surely you can't be serious.



Truth be told it was only supposed to be a 12 miler, but one you get 12 down, what is another mile?  I did not have a course in mind when I set out.  I just took off and saw where the road took me.  Main roads, trails, off road at one point, through neighborhoods, a park, and best of all- the golf course. 

I have decided that golf courses rule. 
The barefoot runners best friend
Grass cut so short its like running on carpet, water every few holes, shade...sure you have to dodge the course marshall's, but no big deal.  Good thing is that I was running on the sun city golf course.  By the time the senior citizens figured out that I was not supposed to be on the course, and told a course marshall, I was already five holes through and able to duck down between two houses and head back to the trails.


The trails around here are brutal. While there are a lot of trees, hardly any of them put any shade on the concrete pathway.  While the radiating heat is fine in the fall and winter, it is no good in June and July.  Beggars can't be choosers, and while these trails are not the best in the world (I am very partial to the Iron Horse in the bay area) it keeps me off the main roads and away from crosswalks and cars.
Oppressive, radiating heat...
I finished the 13.1 over a minute faster than I ran it a few months ago.  I cannot count it as a personal best because:
  1. it was not an official race
  2. being that my distance is measured by footpod and not GPS I know I was close to 13.1, but not sure if I was over or under. 
  3. I had to take a quick break to fight off a cramp in my calf
  4. I stopped for another minute because I thought I had been stung by a bee. 
Ouch!
I made it home with a wicked sunburn (which has now left me with a pretty sweet farmer tan) and what has been determined to be a minimal tear in my right calf (so it was not a bee sting).  It was about mile 12 when I felt a twinge in my calf.  I thought it was a bee sting and thought nothing of it.  Never once did I put it together that the bee sting would have been under my calf sleeve, thus impossible.  Good news is that based on everything I have read, they heal very quickly and don't pose much of a risk of re-injury. 

I did not do any running in Oregon (just not enough time).  We all survived flying to and from Oregon.  The Canuck is now officially married (scary), and my brother gave the greatest best man speech in recent memory (don't tell him though or it will go to his head).

So I ran a total of 26.2 miles this week.  I plan on doing that in one day ?!?
We head to Tahoe in a few days.  Altitude training, here I come.

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