Mothers Day

Total for this week - about 33 miles. I'm not doing the second run today - I ran an 1:25:59 this morning. That seems like enough.

Yesterday was a great run - we had a very small group at the Y. A few people met earlier for a longer run, so there were only four of us there at the usual time. Eric wanted to make it our annual Mothers Day run instead of today, because he was planning to go long this morning. Steve and Elaine decided to stick with us too. We kept a good pace and ran 5.2 miles. Steve and Eric are comedians and kept us laughing the whole way - it's hard to run when you are laughing! I had fun, and it was the best run pace-wise I've ever had with Eric. I didn't feel like I was struggling to keep up at all (he slowed down for me, but we still managed a sub-12 pace including my usual walk breaks).

After the run, Eric and I spent the day cleaning house and doing yard work. Last night was our turn to host neighborhood Bunco - which is what prompted the spring cleaning. (Note to self: host Bunco in the winter when it gets dark early, then the guests won't notice the spiderwebs, dog hair and dust!). There are 10 couples involved and we each host once a month. The host provides beverages and table snacks, the guests provide appetizers and desserts. Now, I am a vegetarian, so I am always sure to provide a vegetarian appetizer. That way I know there'll be something for me to eat. Last night was one of the flukey nights where we ended up with mostly desserts - and no other vegetarian fare. So I didn't eat as well as I should have - mostly just sweets. And quite a few glasses of wine. And not enough water. We got to bed at midnight and got up at 6:00 to head out to this morning's run. I wasn't hungover, but I was not in top form either.

So, after about a 35 minute drive, we got to Lake Youngs where we met up with the others. Lake Youngs is a nine mile trail loop. We only allowed an hour and a half for today's run, so I knew I wouldn't be doing the whole thing. Sonya and I decided to go out for 45 minutes, then turn around and head back. It was a very peaceful run - quiet, in and out of the trees, hilly, some stretches are next to the road, some through forest, some behind houses. It's mainly gravel, pretty smooth, with a couple of rough areas. One rough stretch was up a really long hill. We both decided to walk it, then figured out we should have hopped over to the road, but by that time there was a deep ditch between the trail and the road. We did get over to the road for the run back down. By mid-run I was parched and starving. It's terrible to be out on a run and be hungry and thirsty. And no, I didn't carry anything with me. I just didn't think of it - it's been so long since I've run over an hour that it didn't cross my mind. I was fine on last week's long run - but I hadn't eaten junk food and wine the night before either. Despite it all, it was a great run. Sonya and I are both anxious to do the whole loop next time.

I finally decided to give up on my second pair of shoes. I've been getting blisters and achy feet every time I wear them. Today Eric and I went up to Fleet Feet to replace them with a good pair. Paul, the owner, told me that occasionally the big sporting goods stores (where I got them) will get a shipment of seconds- shoes with something just slightly wrong - and that is what they will put on sale. The pair I was getting rid of was the old model Asic 2100 and they never felt quite right on my left foot. It always felt kind of tilted. Anyway, I replaced them with the new model - the 2110. I already have one pair of 2110s that I love, I want another pair to alternate. I've already explained the whole Birkenstock thing - which means I need my toe room - so I wear men's size 8 Asics. It's kind of strange considering I have narrow feet, but it works for me.

It's been a very nice Mother's Day. A good run, a long walk with the dog, new shoes. Taco Time for dinner (my choice, yum) and Starbucks Java Chip ice cream for later. I hope that everyone else had a wonderful day too!