Sunrise before a run
Amazing how a run in the rain--even for only a short time of it--can seem to cleanse the world and lift your spirits but it certainly does those things for me. So nice to be getting a break from the oppressively hot temps we've been having, way too many daily high records were broken this year where I live and it happened much earlier in the summer than usual to boot. It's gotten to where I just couldn't bear to leave the house because the heat zapped all my energy out within moments of stepping outside. August however seems to be the exact opposite of what's normal for us so far and I'm not complaining at all. Never thought I'd see the day where I was craving gray skies but here I am doing just that.
Running has been a bit of a chore with the heat yet it is still my sanity saver. I will say that it has been so incredibly nice not to be training for anything specific and not "having" to get in the workouts. I go and meet up with friends and pretty much run whatever they are and my long runs are in the still having fun and not hurting afterwards (well sometimes they do hurt, lol) range of 10-13 miles. Kind of settled in with running with a friend I refer to as Speedy Girl for most of my mileage. She well earns that moniker by the way, on speed workouts where I don't get a head start, she blows me away. My view is just watching her pull further (farther?) away, lol. On the easy runs like today there's a lot of laughter, grumbling, venting, gabbing and it makes the time and miles fly by even on the runs where I'm struggling and feeling like the torture is never going to end.
Elsie hiding under a friend's car
Today was a mixed bag, I was tired thanks to a restless dog that I'm keeping for another friend while she's on vacation and a
"Hell on Wheels" Netflix viewing marathon I've been on for the past 3 nights. The 100 jumping jacks on the mini trampoline last night also contributed some sore calves, OWIE! I need to get back in the habit of doing those.....But this morning was overcast and we ended up getting to run in some gorgeous light rain, ahhhhh, the smell of rain hitting warm asphalt is one of the best scents ever in my opinion. We also chased down a woman we'd seen the past couple of weeks out running to ask if she wanted to run with us at sometime. Yeah, it was kinda like "Hey, new girl! You wanna sit at our lunch table, do ya, huh, please!" lol. I'm sure she thought we were crazy, well I am but that's beside the point.
"Hell on Wheels" pic via
AMC
There was also a woo-hoo catcall--well there is usually at least one on every run but Speedy Girl made the observation that she thought it was because of my tattoos. I always just thought it was because it was women out running in short shorts and jog bras and she's not exactly hard on the eyes but she says I'm being stereotyped because of the ink and they feel I'm more open or ok to having that done. Something to think about anyway although I still think it's mostly the sight of half-nekkid women out running that is the reason ;-)
Sorry, can't post a pic of Speedy Girl, but she looks MUCH better than I do!
Not sure if I should go back to putting my stats down for the workouts or not but my year to date mileage is already up to 1,135 miles with 4.5 months left to go. January was my lowest at 91, April the highest with 197. This has been my highest mileage year since I started running in 2007 and I've not even set out for it to be and I'm not even training for a marathon.
Cute Elsie pic just because :-)
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