All week I have been struggling on the run. Actually, more accurately, I have been struggling on the last mile of my runs. I did three runs earlier this week. 8 miles, 6 miles and 5 miles. The runs have all started out great, but after 7, 5, and 4 miles respectively, I fell apart. The last mile of each run was over a minute slower than the rest of my miles. While my average pace on each run was above average for me (7:45, 7:58, and 7:57), I finished each run mentally defeated because the last mile was so much slower than the rest of the run.
Today, however, was different. I embarked on my weekly long run. I set out with Jennie on the bike for 12 miles; my longest run since Steelhead. It was only 80*F, but the humidity was 82% which meant I was dripping with sweat after the first mile. I started out nice and easy. The first 8 miles were between 8:30-8:40 min/mile. After that, I picked it up a bit and finished the last 4 miles between 8:00-8:15. So, not only did I get in my long run for the week, but I also was able to pick up the pace at the end without falling apart. Redemption!
I think the biggest difference was having Jennie on the bike carrying water. I went through about 32oz of water on the run stopping at every 1 or 2 mile mark along the way. Even so, I was down a couple pounds when I got home so I chugged some more water and chocolate milk to refuel.
But that isn’t even the biggest news of the day. The biggest news of the day is that Jennie did her first brick workout! After biking along with me for 12 miles, we went on a 1.5 mile run immediately afterwards. So, now Jennie has felt the feeling in her legs that is a brick workout. And not only that, but she is looking at getting her own RoadID. She has a birthday coming up, so well have to see what happens.
In my opinion, she looks too good for having just done a brick workout. At least I’ve never looked this good after a brick workout. Come to think of it, I don’t look this good on a normal basis.
I generally look like a sweaty mess after my workouts. In this case, I left a nice swass mark on the deck after I got up. Yep, these clothes aren’t allowed inside until they have air dried.
Now, we are spending the day vegging out on couch and watching TV. Jennie is currently engrossed in some Gilmore Girls reruns during which she has seen ice cream sundaes, fresh strawberries, hamburgers/fries, donuts, and baskets of fresh bread; all of which are leaving her with insane cravings. It is only a matter of time before she starts baking…





