Well, Stacy and I obviously didn't need as much venting as we expected. I will recap the last four weeks of my training:
Week of Sept 8- Sept 14
I spent this weekend in Colorado hiking three fourteeneers (14,000' peaks) instead of doing an eight mile run. And it was great! I love and hate visiting Colorado, as I know when I visit I only see the good parts, but it really makes me want to move back. I went at my own pace while hiking, and felt good on all three peaks. We bagged them in the exact time I expected to take, which makes me happy that I can know my own pace that well. Running down the steep hills were not fun, but probably good training for what lies ahead. Nothing to brag about for the weekday runs.
Week of Sept 15- Sept 21
Curtis and I did a 5k race this Saturday, the Fremont Oktoberfest! It sucked. I was happy with my times, 25:55, but terribly unhappy with the whole running-fast-in-the-heat-no-water thing. Not a well supported race, and it was just too damn hot for the end of September (85!). Curtis learned lots about his ability though, and I remembered that I really do go faster when there's lots of people around. Random note- the dog didn't get overheated, unlike Curtis. Props for Apollo!
Week of Sep 22- 29
I did a 9 mile run this week. I ran 9 miles of the Burke Gilman/ Samammish river trail. It was fantastic! I managed to forget my headphones and music, and forget which way the river runs, so I was going up hill the whole time. But I ran all but the stop for water fill up, and kept a really solid pace most of the time. I'm always impressed with my ability to keep going, and actually felt way better at the end of the run than the beginning (until I stopped of course). It helped that I knew the area very well, and liked going back to somewhere I hadnt been in a few years.
Week of Sept 30- Oct Whatever
Ran a 10 mile run with Stacy in Forest Park in Portland. We didnt run the whole way, as there turned out to be a lot of hills. I managed to fall twice and really bang myself up. but surprisingly, we kept a just-over 10 min/mile pace, and i felt really really good at the end and no soreness the next day. this one has made me excited for my eleven miler this weekend!