Saturday, July 25, 2009

And She Runs...

Finally...after a month of pissing and moaning about not running, I did a "real" run this morning with the track club. (Real in that it was outdoors, on the road, not indoors on the 'mill). It was a nice morning for a run, foggy, a bit muggy, but relatively cool.

When I got there, I saw Irene, who gave me a big hug and welcomed me back. Then a few minutes later, Alberta showed up telling me how she'd made it from Pacific Beach to Balboa Park in about 15 minutes.

The club route was 8 miles this morning and included a couple miles on some of the trails and paths in Balboa Park. I had pretty much decided that I would either walk the trails or just figure out a way to skip them.

Here's the track club route...

I typically wouldn't publish a track club maps, but I figure since this is also the same route as next week's Balboa 8 miler, it'd be OK. See all those dashed lines? Those are trails.

My route was somewhat different...

(This is a screen shot of my route from Garmin Connect...Oh I love Garmin Connect now...it is so pretty! If you are truly interested in my run, you can check out all the stats here)

Yeah, I took about five steps onto the 2nd trail. It was a pretty steep downhill path. My foot twisted a little bit and I IMMEDIATELY felt it. So I turned around and decided to stay on paved roads and asphalt.

Highlights from the run

  • I managed 5.5 miles and averaged about a 12 minute mile pace (which includes a really slow mile when I was on the first trail and walked a bit...and also includes me looking for an unlocked restroom).
  • Note to self...public restrooms in Balboa Park are not unlocked until 8am. We started at 6:30am.
  • I might have run faster had I not had locate an unlocked restroom.
  • Minimal tenderness in the foot while running...mostly toward the end of the run.
  • Only noticed the knee when I was running downhill. (Not a good thing really since the first 5 miles of the AFC included some pretty steep descents, but manageable today).
  • At 5.5 miles, I stopped running, but I felt like I could have run more.
  • So happy that I haven't lost too much in the way of cardio-fitness. I guess all that biking and the little bit of swimming I did paid off!
  • Chatting with Alberta about her wolf-man arms. Apparently several weeks in a cast stimulates hair growth, so she now has one hairy arm. (Nair babee, Nair!).
  • Edith overslept and missed the run.
  • Seeing what must have been some Comic-con goers on their way to/from the festivities, in costume.
  • Wondering why that dude was hanging around outside the woman's restroom? Creeped me out!
  • I might have run slower if not for that dude.
  • I was runnnnnninnnngggg
About that bike ride...

Several of you wondered why I didn't do the trek around Tahoe with Betty and Mik. It's not a particularly interesting story, but I just couldn't swing the trip to Tahoe this summer, with teaching summer school, kids, their vacations, and oh yeah, I left Walter (who is a saint) with the kids for a week already this summer.

Yes, I am bummed that I wasn't there. I hate it when I'm not at the party, no matter what the party is, or where.

Yes, I will go with them next time.

So.... I've got 21 days until AFC...

Hope you're all having a fabulous Saturday!

12 comments:

  1. nice to see you are back at it.
    good luck getting ready for AFC

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  2. glad you listened to your body and stopped the trail when you felt something. Yay for running again :D

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  3. YAY for running again!!

    I second Mel's comment about good thing you stopped the trail when you felt issues. Smart!!

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  4. I think you'll be OK for AFC 1/2, especially since it's not the Balboa 8 we did today, and you can probably cruise it and still come out with a decent time. When we ran it Michael got sick (stopping at just about every port-o-potty along the way) and still finished under 3 hours. You'll be fine.

    I ran somewhat behind Alberta for most of the time. It was easy to spot her kelly green shorts. :)

    It's great to have you back! Woohoo!

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  5. I need to figure out how to use my garmin with my computer. Very cool!

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  6. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to welcome you back to running. And I'm so glad to hear the run went as well as it could and you did the smart thing by adjusting the route and surface as needed. See, you're learning.

    Those bathrooms are supposed to open at 7 a.m. Maybe this was one of those "furlough days." Just another sign we're living in a city that's broke, I guess.

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  7. Woooo, so glad you were able to get back out there for a good run!!

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  8. You played it very smart by not pushing yourself.

    Perhaps Alberta found a cure to male baldness -head casting?! :)

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  9. Congrats on a nice run-and best of all, no pain!
    I hope to be there some day!

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  10. Excellent running!!!

    I hate running earlier than when the toilets open up. It's not fair!

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  11. Running again - great news, sister.

    BUT ... don't over do it at first. You're in this for the long haul, remember!

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