Run and Fun

Bri, Sara, Tom O', Paul and I gathered at the Douglas Trailhead in Rochester yesterday for a run.

Sara and Bri

Tom O'

Paul

Me ... yikes. That's scary ... I still even have a mark from my headlamp on my forehead

Most of us are not able to run on Saturday, so it worked out for us to run together on Thursday morning. Early. The plan was to meet at 6 and run for about 17. I needed to be at work at 9 and I knew I wouldn't be able to get in that kind of mileage unless I all of a sudden developed Pete Gilman's kind of pace. :-) So I hit the trail at 5:30 for 3 early miles. The dew point was already 68 and temp was 71. And with the high humidity, it was really foggy. We headed north on the trail. Sara had left some fluids on the trail near her home and Paul and Bri had each left some in Douglas. Thank you all! I carried a bottle ... I have to drink LOTS in these temps. Tom O' turned around at Douglas, I continued to 5.50 miles before turning thinking I'd be able to get in 14 or 15 miles. The rest went to about 8 before turning I believe. All things considered, I felt pretty good. We went out at a very comfortable pace. Maybe that's why I didn't crash and burn?? :-) Coming back I was 8 minutes faster than going out so I was able to get in one extra mile for a total of 16.01. It was actually a GOOD run. :-) It was a two-towel morning (I've taken to keeping a stash in my trunk) and all my running shoes are presently SOAKED. :-)

And I made it to work on time and everything. A good start to the day ... a long run with friends. :-) Just a little piece of useless info ... when I got back to the parking lot there was a guy that had biked and his little fluffy white dog was running around and barking at me. Her name? Michelle. Unusual name for a dog, I think.

Today I swam for an hour and lifted. I might go out for a couple miles in a few minutes just ... because. Tomorrow is an off day and I'll be staffing a water stop for the marathon training group. Then it's off to the cities to see WICKED at the Orpheum with Jean and Laura. Then staying with Paula and Dwight in Rosemount as I am running the MDRA 15K in Edina on Sunday morning. Fellow St. Cloud River Runners race team members running on Sunday include: Anita, Lisa, Shannon, Val, Molly, Tom Woo, Rick and Paul. I'm so looking forward to the more pleasant weather forecast for Sunday into next week! Just a little aside ... they laid sod on 6th St SW this week after completing the sewer project or whatever it was. What a tough week to keep sod alive.

K.C. emailed me this info ... "From the horse’s mouth (the project manager), the new bike path/footbridge over Highway 14 should open late this afternoon or mid morning Friday." The official grand opening is Thursday, August 19 at 6:00 pm on the 7th St side of the bridge. Maybe on my little run I'll go check out the bridge status ... stay tuned.

I've gotten banana bread and blueberry bread baked this morning for the weekend. Still need to make some cookies. But first, I think I'll go for a little jog. Sans iPod since today it's chosing to be non-functional AGAIN. Yesterday at R.E.D. my camera stopped working AGAIN. The first few times I banged it on the counter it worked. But then THAT stopped working. Today, it's working. I can't figure this stuff out but it is totally frustrating.

Have a good weekend. Stay cool. And stay tuned ...