I Have Seen the Error of my Way(finding)

If you saw the picture I posted on Facebook Saturday after my run, you already know I got a little ... well, lost ... and ended up running an extra 1.5 miles that morning for a total of 10.5 instead of 9.  Now, thanks to actually studying the map (better late than never?), I have seen the error of my wayfinding, and I'll know better next time I'm visiting my family and need to get in a long run.

I started on the far west end of the Mockingbird Trail (purple on the map) and ran until the Eldridge Pkwy bridge, at which point you have to switch to the north side of the bayou.  I continued along the north side on the Quail Trail (green) all the way past Kirkwood to go 4.5 miles before turning around (remember - the goal was a total of 9 miles).  On the way back, I mistakenly assumed that I could cross back over to the south side of the bayou via the bridge across the bayou at the Blue Jay trail (blue).

What I didn't realize is that in order to cross at that bridge, I'd have to take the northern spur up the Cardinal Trail (red) first.  I realized I'd definitely made the wrong choice when I saw the I-10 freeway.  Oops.  I finally checked the next "You Are Here" trail map I saw, and realized that I could get back to the bridge I needed to cross over, but only after a pretty significant detour.

I did, indeed, finally manage to make my way back to the car, with quite a bit of unplanned additional mileage.  On the upside, I'm feeling better about my training for the Donna half in a few weeks!

Thoughts on a Freezing 8 Mile Run

Start:   Okay, I'm leaving the house.  I have on cuddleduds under my tights, a longsleeve shirt, jacket, hat with earcovers, and gloves, so I'm good to go.  OMG.  It's freezing.  Literally freezing. Actually, it's several degrees below freezing.  There's still snow on the ground - this is a really bad idea.  No, the sidewalks are clear, so the trail's probably okay.  No excuses.  I'm doing this.

Mile 1:   My lungs are burning.  I can see every breath in the air.  Maybe I should have worn some kind of mouth cover.  Oh look - another runner!  Dude, we're hardcore.  Yes, our mutual waves mean "glad to see I'm not the only one crazy enough to run in this."   Maybe this isn't so bad - I'm actually smiling.

Mile 2:   Oh my.  The pedestrian bridges over the creek are still covered in ice & snow and are potential death traps.   Go slow, go slow, don't break a leg.  Hopefully as it continues to warm up, and as the sun keeps shining, then the next ones will be thawing out.

Mile 3:   My hands are hot.  I think I'm going to take off my gloves.  Oh shit.  Nope, gloves going back on!  My palms are really hot.  Do they make palm-less gloves?  I mean, I know they make fingerless gloves...but my fingers need to be covered - my palms are hot!  I should check into this when I get home.

Mile 4:   Okay, time to turn around, and fuel.  Uh-oh, my gel is practically frozen.  Maybe I should stick it in my bra so my body heat can warm it up a little and it'll be easier to get down.  OH GOD...I think I've given my left boob frostbite!!!  Is that possible?  Soooooo cold.    But, it seems to have worked.  And hooray for freeze-proof water fountains!

Mile 5:   Dogs in winter coats are the cutest thing.  Ever.

Mile 6:   Where did this wind come from?  Did I have a tailwind outbound and not even notice?  I feel like I'm slowing down.  Ooof - the wind makes my face hurt.  Back to wishing I have some kind of face cover.  Why does the outbound leg not feel like it's downhill, but the return path definitely feels like uphill?

Mile 7:   This bridge definitely did not thaw out while I was out.  Go slow, go slow, don't break a leg.

Mile 8:  1 mile left.  I am a total badass for rocking this run.  It feels like it's finally above freezing, but I've warmed up a lot, so maybe that's just in my head.  No, it's definitely gotten warmer.  There's less snow along the path than when I started.  This last mile sucks.

Done:   Home!  Home!  Home!  OMG, now that I've stopped moving, I'm freezing again.  Totally shaking, even inside the house.  I'm making myself hot tea and hopping in a steamy shower.  Yay me!

Declare It Day

Based on my races at WDW Marathon Weekend, this NEEDS to happen.  Pictures, chip times, and post-race aches and pains don't lie.  Got to get my rear back in gear and concentrate on getting back in better running shape.

Seeing Stars

As y'all know, I'm a planner.  I loooove to plan things - trips, travel, workload, training, anything and everything!  I have a wall calendar that I use for laying out my training & racing plans every year.  I color code it for short runs, long runs, races, cross-training, strength training, etc.  I have a couple different places to hang it throughout the house.  Sometimes it's on the wall next to the treadmill, sometimes it's on the bedroom door, sometimes it's on the fridge downstairs (although that doesn't happen much anymore - it tends to hang out upstairs these days).  The location of the calendar in the house depends on how much motivation I'm needing.  It's current spot, hanging on the bedroom door, means ***YOU MUST PASS ME AND LOOK AT ME BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO BE A TOTAL BUM AND CRASH IN BED WITHOUT DOING A WORKOUT***   Yes, it really does mean that!

Yes, I did flip over to September for the pic - fresh & clean!

While the calendar is a great organizing and motivational tool, it's also a reward system.  When I do a planned workout I have a stash of glittery stars (yes, like teachers use on kindergarten papers) that I put on that day.  It's a silly little thing, but those stars really do give a little feeling of accomplishment!  I get a little warm fuzzy when I give myself a star after a workout (yeah, could also be feeling a little nauseated, but hey, we'll go with the positive on this one).  

It's also a simple way to get a feel for how well (or not) I'm sticking to training.  For instance, July had only five - yep, five - stars in the whole month.  That's just Saturday long runs and one mid-week walk.  Yikes!

So I'm pleased with how the second half of August is looking - yes, I already bailed on one mid-week workout last week, but 4 out of 5 in one week ain't bad - and certainly better than I'd been doing - and I loved the feeling of giving myself those stars almost every day!  I even gave myself an extra-special star on Saturday after I did both a run and a bike!

So, just for the heck of it, Last Week:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Short, slow run - 2miles 

Wednesday - 30 min bike (5 mi)

Thursday - Skip 

Friday - Rest

Saturday - 9 mile run, 30 min bike (5.2 mi) 

Sunday - 30 min bike (5.3 mi)