we did it!! this race is by far my favorite. there is a drawbridge at the beginning, which has virtually no incline/decline, a nice run through the neighborhoods, brief views of the water, a tough overpass near the end, and a relatively flat return to the finish. the best part about this race was the post-race power bars provided by the local bakery. ortega is such a cute neighborhood, and the scenery is outstanding. i was extra lucky because my boyfriend felt bad that i was running alone and jumped in at the last minute to run with me. he is the best! the funny part was that near the end when i wanted to lay down instead of finish the race, he was the one who had the energy to finish and motivated me to continue! we crossed the finish line holding hands, it was a great way to end the race. two more weeks until the river run. given my inability to run this race very well, i'm more nervous about the river run. at least ashlee will be there to run with me!! that will make it much better!
so the goal today was to run 5 miles...ok so really it was to cover 5 miles, i didn't expect to run the whole time. especially since the rickety old knee was howling the day before. since the temps were in the 40s (for FL that is not acceptable!) i headed for the hotel treadmill with low expectations. to my surprise, it was actually a great ride. now i'll admit the first mile was slow, and at times painful, but once i warmed up i felt like i could go forever. i cranked up the ipod, put a towel over the display, and stared out the window. 58 mins later, i was done and dad had a subway italian bmt sub waiting for me. what a great day. i know i'll be able to complete the ortega run, just need to start working on the hills, those bridges are a real deal breaker.
as an update, i can't believe i'm not sore after running for an hour. normally this would put my body into shock, rendering me useless for 3 days with the exception of lifting weights and doing situps. not this time! i have full mobility, and am ready to go. my plan is a solid 4 hours of cruising through the mall. we'll see how well i do!
my friend came over bright and early this morning (ok so it was only 7am) to go for an easy run. my heart rate was already high due to the neighbors rooster making his call while i stood in the driveway testing the temperature. COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!!! scared me half to death. so we ran/walked for about 45 minutes, covering less than 4 miles. i seem to have pulled a leg muscle so hopefully i can nurture it for the day and get back to running tomorrow. the weather has been cool and rainy, so it makes for good running. we decided to do the ortega 5 mile run in a few weeks to get ready for the river run. must...log...more...miles. the half is right around the corner. it's not even 10am and i'm already feeling like i need a nap.
after spending a few boring days in radcliff, kentucky, i came home to cool weather- perfect for running! i didn't have high expectations for my run, given that i lived on oreo cookies, fast food hamburgers, and diet soda for the week, but i gave it my best effort. i actually did pretty good! 3.12 miles in just over 30 mins. i'm meeting a friend in the morning to log some more miles, afterall i will be staying in the same hotel as my dad next weekend and he has already brought up the challenge of beach running...claims he'll be able to beat me for sure. ha! my money's on him anyway. ahh well, i'm not in it for the fame. i'm hoping this rain stops soon so that we can drag the bikes out too, that would be excellent! two more days and its back to radcliff for me, which means running on the treadmill in a room big enough for only a treadmill. its like a prison for atheletes. just 5 more weeks until the river run, i need to pick up the pace.
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