This past weekend's long run with Fleet Feet was an 8 miler, and we really lucked out with the weather - low 60's, beautiful blue skies, and low humidity. It was just a nice morning to be outside running! We we're commenting that it was hard to believe it's July.
Unfortunately, we spoke to soon.
Just a few days later, the summer heat & humidity arrived with a vengeance. On Wednesday, I glanced at the temperature on the thermometer in my car - 95 degrees at 6pm. Seriously?
Wednesday's run was another 5 mile hill run, but this time the hill was a bit steeper, and we were supposed to do 4 loops. We had a brief chat about hydration before the run. Kevin advised us to take it easy on this first run in the heat. It's going to take a few weeks for us to get acclimated to the summer temperatures. My pace group has been discussing hydration packs, and it's become obvious that I need to invest in one soon - especially as the outdoor mileage increases.
After our chat, we ran a little over a mile and a half to the hill. At the base of the hill, we had a small support team with a cooler full of water, and another cooler full of ice water and towels to refresh after each loop. There wasn't a lot of talking on this run. Most of us were just looking to get it done. My normal pace leader, Sandy, wasn't there on Wednesday - so I ran with Bridget who runs about a 13:00 mile pace. Normally, this would be slower than I'd like to run, but on this particular evening with the heat (and my lack of preparation before the run) - I don't think I could have completed the loops any faster. I hadn't slept well the night before, and was strongly considering skipping the run. As I finished, I was glad I had pushed through.
Tonight I had a phone conference with the Running For Rare Disease Team. We covered a few topics including: race weekend plans, baggage/transportation responses, patient partners, upcoming fundraisers, the Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon, and virtual training runs.
Phil encouraged the NYC Marathon runners to join the RFRD Team in Hartford for the half marathon in October. I find myself in a dilemma. First, I've already registered for a very popular, local race that weekend - the Army 10 Miler on Sunday. Second, according to my Fleet Feet training schedule, I'm supposed to run a 20 miler that Saturday. Third, if I'm going to Hartford to run a race, I'm going to want to run the full 26.2 to cross off another state (Connecticut) on my list. Fourth, I don't want to get injured by running too much in one weekend. Fifth, I'm not sure I can afford another trip this fall. I'm already going to California for my youngest brother's wedding in September, and NYC in November, and my husband and I are hoping to start a family soon. Sixth, I really want to join the team for at least one training run before NYC. Yeah, so I have a lot to think about.
In my last rambling paragraph, I mentioned something about crossing off another state. I might as well tell you about an absurd personal goal I've been hiding for a while now. I've been scared to put it in writing, because I'm afraid with so many unknowns, I'm going to fail, but here we go. I have a crazy goal of running a full marathon (26.2 miles) in all 50 states (and DC). Using my accountant brain, I did the math, and I've figured that I could possibly accomplish the goal by the time I'm 50, if I run an average of 4 full marathons per year. So far, I've run 11 full marathons, and I've knocked off 5 states (Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia) and DC. New York will be my 6th state, and if I do the Hartford full, I'll be up to 7 states. Here's my vision board below - most of the medals hanging are from other distances I've completed - I still have a long way to go to fill that chalkboard with full marathons!
Tomorrow, I'm having a phone conference with my patient partner, Noah, and I can't wait to get to know her, and to share with you all her story!
Then on Saturday, it's another early morning run (ugh) - 9 miles with Fleet Feet!
I've been pretty tired this week & am experiencing some foot pain which I'm slightly concerned about. I plan on getting the foot checked out over the next week & will let you know the results, hopefully, just muscle tenderness.
Have a great weekend all!
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