on schedule

Second week of the new, get me through it, "just wanna survive this marathon" training plan is done.  And surprisingly despite my record this year, still on course. All distances have been met although the speed training has not occurred.  Yeah, yeah, laugh and scoff if you must but I just haven't seemed to have been able to keep things together workout wise for the past several months.  It's been a catch it when I can, try not to obsess over missing runs/workouts/etc kinda year.

Today was our Sunday morning run with the pups but 4 miles longer than usual, a couple of the girls are preparing for a west coast run so this week they're doing 3 ten-milers in a row (whew, tired just typing that).  That worked for me because I had 12 miles on my schedule and that would just leave me having to slog out 2 solo.  My only quandary was Elsie.  Up to now she's only ran 6-7 miles on Sundays with me and I wasn't sure she was up to 10 miles but hated not taking her because she does enjoy getting to run and romp off leash with us.

Please, can we run now?

My other concern once I woke up to get ready this morning was that it was sprinkling.  Normally if any kind of precipitation is going on, the mutt is hiding in the closet or under the couch and true to form that's where she was after her morning constitutional............right up to the point I put my running shoes on then she was at the door begging to go.  Still leery but I loaded her up to go anyways..............shouldn't have worried, once we got there she was zoom, zoom, zoom saying hi to everyone.  Me on the other hand........not so much.

Ready to run!! No, not really

Today was actually great weather, it was warm but we had a nice cool breeze every so often, overcast skies, and occasional sprinkles to kinda keep things from being overheated.  Unfortunately various hunting seasons are starting--dove season right now--so the days of running there may be limited......the anglers tolerate us but hunters kinda (and rightly so) don't like the game being disturbed by us gallivanting around.  There was the cutest little girl (she had a pink rifle!!) hunting with her dad who wanted to pet the dogs so Elsie got some attention.

Oh back to the actual running.....I struggled some, had a bit of achilles and foot pain on my left leg which I think is a holdover from the week's back trouble, but my breathing seems to be getting more in line with what it should be instead of the constant huffing like a freight train that I've done all summer (blasted humidity).  Elsie did great right up to around 8.5 miles then started slowing but she did quite well, I was very pleased.  My friends offered to keep her and wait on me while I finished up my 12 miles, oh those last 2 (well 1.64) were miserable with no one to talk to.  When I got back to our vehicles, Bren asked had I got my full mileage in and I said I was close enough, lol.  Still, that last .36 was nagging at me so after catching my breath I did laps in the parking lot to get 12 even.  Obsessed much?

Dirty shoes 

Dirtier tub--aftermath of Elsie's bath, one of the downsides of trail running