Catch Me If You Can -- 98 Minutes

I had an awesome run today! It was super warm (70 degrees at 8am and probably into the 90s by the time we finished), so I have no idea how I didn't melt. The half-marathoners were scheduled to go 7 miles, and the full marathoners 10. I've been trying to follow the full marathon schedule (even though I'm 90% sure I'll "only" run the half in San Antonio), but I didn't know when we started running whether I'd be up for 10 miles or not, so I left it to a game-time decision.

I had a nice little mini-group around me on the trail: Gary and Russ in front, and Kelsie and Ernie just behind. It was wonderful to run with so many people! Kelsie was a trooper -- Ernie, Gary, and Russ are usually much faster than me, and we were all averaging less than a 10 minute/mile pace! Not too shabby. Plus, it was one of the longest (if not the longest) runs Kelsie's ever done!

I tried Cytomax at the first water stop -- the "drink of choice" for the San Antonio marathon. Ugh! Talk about disgusting. It tasted like super sweet syrup and looked unnaturally electric pink. Why companies try to out-do Gatorade, I'll never figure out. They should just leave well enough alone.

Anyway, at the end of our 7+ mile loop, I decided to continue on with Ernie, and Russ joined us for a few more miles. I have no idea how I ended up out in front of them, but I was pushing the pace for most of the remaining distance. And, at the end, as Ernie and Russ started to kick it up, I just turned on after burners I didn't even know I had and yelled over my shoulder, "Come on boys!" I smoked 'em! Well, that's an exaggeration, but I did beat them! Maybe 1 in 10 times I can do that. Amazing! I finished the 10 miles in 98 minutes, and I could probably subtract 4 or 5 minutes off that time for resting at the water stops. Yahoo!

I've tried to think back to what I did differently that made this run so good, and I can't figure it out! I ate too much food last night at Mom & Dad's (somehow two small bowls of lowfat ice cream seemed like a good idea). I ate the same breakfast I always consume before Saturday runs: coffee (half caf) with almond milk and half a PowerBar. I ran with my CamelBack instead of my hand-held water bottle and filled it with PowerBar electrolyte drink mix; maybe that helped? I didn't eat any goos along the run; in fact, the only thing I consumed were pretzels at the water stops (they're just sooooo good!).

Oh, there was that 4.something earthquake last night. Maybe I need a good rumbler to make my legs move -- ha! Actually, I ran quite well late last spring on the Livermore run when it was really hot outside. Maybe I do better in the heat!? Guess I better order up a hot day come November 16.

NO WIMPS, or how to beat the heat

Tonight's buddy run at Heather Farms was a challenge! It was still in the 90-degree range (according to my car's thermometer) at 6:30pm. Yowsers! The ice I had put in my water bottle before leaving the house was already melted when I met up with the team. But Team In Training has a motto: NO WIMPS!

I was impressed with everyone who showed up to run -- there were 20 of us. No one melted down, and everyone had a good attitude about being out there in the heat. I ran for 40 minutes -- an even split of 20 minutes each way. My water was gone before the end of the run. The fact that it was lukewarm didn't stop me in the slightest from chugging it down.

I haven't had a consistent running buddy or group of buddies yet this season. At first it was strange since I was used to my core group of gals from the spring team (who I miss, dearly, and am seeing for dinner next week -- Yahoo!). But it's actually been fun running with different people. I've logged miles with Julie, who's doing extra weekly distance so she can run the Nike full marathon in mid-October. I've also run with Kelsie, a friend of Andrea's (who was on my team last season and is now a mentor), and "Coach" Gary, who's actually just a participant this fall -- it's his 10th year doing TNT!

Tonight I ran most of the way with Kyle. He's a Michiganite who moved to the Bay Area about a year ago with his longtime sweetheart, Clara. Clara's actually the one that got him and their friends, Sara and Don (also a couple from Michigan), to join TNT. The four of them are lots of fun; they seem to have really taken to the Bay Area.

After my run, I headed straight to my in-laws to see Shannon (my sister-in-law) and the boys. They flew in today for Labor Day weekend. Those boys have more energy than they know what to do with! Course, after being couped up on a plane all day, I might, too! If I could just harness that energy and use it during my races, I'd be set!