Treachery on the Running Trail

Regarding the individual(s) who saw fit to steal our cooler, water, Gatorade, and cups this morning:

Dear Loser,

Thank you for making a challenging 13.1 mile run that much more challenging by stealing what would have been our group's water stop and nutrition at miles 6 and 9. I too am a fan of taking what is NOT MINE, regardless of dollar value or how the theft may impact others. You may rest assured your mother holds her head high when she hears your name spoke, knowing you to be such a fine, upstanding individual. I'm sure you bring joy to all those around you and this earth is a better place for having you on it.

Meanwhile, I hope you choke on the Gatorade.

Sincerely,

Dena Harris

Best Run of My Life

Dear Blog Readers,

I had such high hopes for today's blog. After an incredible run this morning (which I'll get to in a moment) I was full of energy and ideas . While soaking in a tub with a 10 lb bag of ice this afternoon, I mentally drafted a humorous "How to Take An Ice Bath" blog. Coming out of the tub, I peeked outside where Blair was building our Halloween set, to find our neighbor's 6-year-old son "helping" him. He had run inside to get his plastic tool kit and was helping "hammer" and "drill" the wood, all the while talking non-stop in that excited, high-pitched voice kids have, asking what else Blair needed help with. Kicking myself now for not having grabbed my camera.

I made some yummy sweet potatoe french fries and planned to blog the recipe. But alas--it is 7:30 PM and I do believe the effect of today's run have kicked in, making me sleepy and hesitant to blog anything that requires any real effort on my part. Bottom line: you lose. Apologies.

Today's Run: Oh. My. God. Today's 20-mile run, our last really long run before the marathon, is one for the history books. I think it's fair to say it was my best run EVER. I checked off twenty miles like I was whipping out a 5 mile run. When I got to mile 16 and still felt not only fine, but really, really good, I knew it was a bright day.

What accounts for the stellar run? Who knows. I ate horrible yesterday, including 2 fudge brownies and almost no water, not to mention almost 6 hours spent stuffed inside a car as we traveled to a family reunion in Fayetteville. I ate my body weight at dinner, with a plate of spaghetti, a salad, two bowls of cereal, handfuls of nuts, and two cups decaf coffee.

The run didn't start out great for me. I felt tired the first four miles. But something clicked after that and everything fell in place. Part of it was I didn't try to run race pace, and instead focused on a nice, steady pace. I thought I would come in 20-30 minutes off my race pace but I must have picked up speed somewhere in there, because I ended up with a 9:12/mile pace (3 hours, 3 minutes)--only 3 seconds slower per mile than race pace.

The weather today made me grateful to be alive--beautiful Carolina blue skies without a cloud in sight, sun, no wind, and 50 degree temperatures. Setting out water this morning for the group, I passed a huge, beautiful buck off to one side of the road. I stopped the car and we stared at one another for 10 seconds before he ambled away. And while running Owl's Roost Road, Chris and I passed two does quietly eating grass in a side yard bracketed by trees. They were beautiful.

I'm going to make a list here in a second of everything i did today, just to try and replicate the magic. However, what it really comes down to is some runs are good, some are a struggle. I lucked into a great rhythm today (thank you, Chris) and everything just clicked.

Okay, here's what I did:

• Steady run Thursday night, no running Friday or Saturday
• Dinner on Saturday: spaghetti, salad, cereal - 6:30. Two cups decaf: 8 pm.
• Light stretch morning of run.
• Tagamet and 2 Advil-- 2 hours before run
• First Gu - 1 hour 20 minutes
• 2 more Advil - 1 hour 45 minutes
• Second Gu - 2 hour 20 minutes / 1 orange slice

Sigh--I'd pay good money for a replica of today's run at Richmond. We'll have to wait and see...

Running Starts the Day Out Right

When I stepped outside this morning at 7:15, sky just beginning to pale with the rising sun, frost silver on the grass and my breath visible in clouds in front of me, my initial thought was, "S***."

I am not a fan of being cold. Therefore, I was not happy about hauling my cookies to GSO to do a freezing cold trail run. My first mile out on the trail didn't help. "This isn't fun anymore," I thought, as I wiped my dripping, frozen nose with my icy hands. My ass was a solid chunk of ice.

But about 2 miles in the sun seemed to pop out of nowhere, changing the fall leaves to a bright gold under our feet and sending sparkles of water and shimmery fog across the lake. We entered into a steady pace and my body warmed up, allowing me to enjoy the crunch of leaves and branches under my trail shoes as I watched squirrels and chipmunks scatter out of our way. Dave and I chatted about running and races or jogged in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

By the time we completed our 6 mile loop, I was wondering why I ever did anything with my time BUT run. There simply is no better way to kick-start the day. I came home, took a long, hot shower and have been a walking bundle of energy ever since. The sun is gleaming through the windows and even though it's already past 11, the day still feels filled with potential. There are hours in which to write, cook, read, and love on the cats. And the small things that seemed annoying this morning (I need to order business cards, we have a yellowjacket nest over our back porch so I need to call the exterminator--AGAIN, I have calls to return,...) now seem okay. Fun, even.

Would I have felt this way without the run? Maybe, but I doubt it. The cold was worth it. What a great way to start the day.

Someone remind me of this on Sunday, when we do our last 21-mile run. =)

Cannonball Run 2008

Saturday was the 5th Annual Greensboro Cannonball Run 1/2 Marathon. I shaved over 5 minutes off my time from last year, coming in this year at 1:50:47, which is a 8:29/mile pace. Very pleased with that.

Running the race was a lot of fun. Most of my running group was there and the race is an out and back, meaning runners pass each other as they circle at the turnaround and head back toward the finish. I was cheering the people ahead of me on as they came back and cheering the runners behind me on, and they did the same for me. We'd yell each other's names as we passed - "Dena!" "Lewie!"  About mile 9, a woman running beside me said, " Are you Dena?" When I said I was she said, "You sure know a lot of people." I laughed, and explained I trained with Off N'Running, which is the main running store in Greensboro and a quick way to get to know a lot of runners.

At the end, I realized there was a small shot of coming in under an hour fifty minutes but I would have to hustle. So I'm trying to sprint the last 1/2 mile and suffering for it - huff, huff, gasp, pant. I'm literally 300 yards from the finish, I sound like a freight train or an asthmatic elephant, and as I pass this woman she says, "Hey--do you like those running skirts?"

Hel-lo??? Do I look like I'm capable of conversation at this point? No, I do not. Find me afterward and ask about the skirts and I'll be happy to talk to you (I love them), but seconds from the finish? Give me a break...

The cruel part was that since we were scheduled for a 21-mile run this weekend, I had to get up today and run another 7. I entertained thoughts of running the 7 after the marathon and decided by mile 5 that was NOT going to happen. Next weekend is 21 as well, then the miles start going down as the race draws near.

I've been eating protein like a fiend and am feeling much better, more like my old self. This week is a busy week, so need to try to keep the healthy heating and hydrating up.