Drenched in Perspiration

Some Like It Hot.  Holy bejeezamollie! It is only spring time and I am literally drenched and soaked in perspiration.  I shudder to think what running in the good ol' Arkansas summer heat would be like and I know it ain't gonna be fun.

Five Miles.  I ran a pretty good 5-miler.  I don't know how my knee would react so I was a tad worried before I started.  Strapped that Garmin on my wrist and lifted my arm up in the air like an antenna to try to get a good satellite reception - yes, I live out in the country.  And I love my country living.  Here's the stats:
Mile 1: 11:03/mile
Mile 2: 10:58/mile
Mile 3: 11:49/mile
Mile 4: 11:45/mile
Mile 5: 12:04/mile
Total:  5 miles in 57:40 minutes, average pace = 11:33/mile.

Food For Thought.  I had quite an amazing start. My legs didn't have that lead-weighing down feeling and I actually felt kinda chirpy and had a certain bounce as I ran.  Can I attribute it to that 1/3 of the Snicker marathon bar (Honey and Roasted Almonds) I chowed down just a minute before my run?  The entire bar packs about 150 calories, so, 1/3 of it would be some 50 calories or so.  Did that quick bite kinda help fuel my body for that first 2 miles or so? I felt a little tired and sluggish about 2.5 miles into the run and I was trying hard to channel my thoughts to other stuff and to keep going.   I should have brought along the rest of that bar and kinda have a little snack to refuel along the way and see how I feel.

How Lucky.  I was envious of Buttercup.  She has no difficulty tee-teeing as we run along the main road. I forgot to use the restroom before my run and about a mile or so down the road, I realized that I am running on a full bladder.  Not fun! 

In Other Matters.  I have read about a few other bloggers having injuries and having to reevaluate their strategies/plans for their upcoming half marathons and marathons.  I thought long and quite hard about this issue since last Saturday rather disappointing run and even more so on today's 5-miler.  I am evaluating the Country Music half marathon that's happening in 3 weekends.  Maybe I should start letting that go and set my sight on something else a little later down the line.  My knee felt OK at the end of today's run, but I kinda have a feeling that it will start hurting if I ran another 2 miles.  I didn't get the chance to test it out. And I wasn't about to.  I am cross-training tomorrow and will see what Saturday will bring.

I'm Thankful For.  A pretty spring day. A cool running dog buddy. Knees that aren't hurting. Butterflies running alongside with me.  And a safe, successful 5 mile run. 

The "Yay" to "Oops" Run.

I was up bright and early at 6:30 a.m. I ate 1/3 of a banana and milled around the house a little bit - folded some laundry and I can't hardly contain myself and I just went out the door.  Never mind if the banana isn't quite digested. 

I started running and I sang and I just knew today's run was going to be good. I was rather slow and was a tad disappointed in myself in my 4-mile run a few days ago.  Today, I told myself that I am not going to let anything bother me. I'll just run and be happy. And I ran. The first 0.5 mile was good. Then, my legs felt heavy again. But it was OK. I just kept going.

I pretty much stayed on my usual 6-mile route and veered off a little into a neighborhood at around mile 3 to mile 3.5. I didn't see dogs but I heard them. They sounded like big, dark, burly dogs. Buttercup was slightly intimidated cos' she let off a little whimper. I am still new to the entire "dog world." Trust me, I was deathly scared of dogs a few years ago. Till this day, boyfriend still recounts how I refused to get out of his car when we went to visit with his dad (they have 9 dogs or maybe more). I tried to talk him into getting him to carry me into the house. That didn't work. Remember, I just can't convince people. Haha. I am better now. Still a little scared but not irrationaly scared.  I saw Uncle B. clearing his yard and I waved at him. I saw Dr. D. drove down the road and waved at him. It was nice. I waved at quite a few people today. And most motorists were very friendly today. 

I snapped a few pictures with my phone on my run.  I thought I got a picture of a "nekkid semi." for Zoe, but I must have moved my phone and got the cracked road instead. Well, that reminds me I better put some lotion on my legs.  Check Zoe and her nekkid semi out.  She is looking to collect pictures of "nekkid semis" from all the states.  Better luck next time. I am sure I will get that Arkansas nekkid semi in my next run.

About the 4th mile, I felt a slight discomfort in my knees (yes, knees). But hey, I am about to finish my run so, what the heck? I trugged along and pretty happily. I definitely felt stronger during the second half of my run than the first 3 miles. There is "spring" in my strides. And talk about a good ponytail day.  Even ponytail was dancing and swaying left and right. 

Spring is here. I see daffodils blooming and all that cheery yellow blooms just make me happy.

Rennur chimed! Yay!!! I stopped Rennur and looked down to see my timing and "O0ps! One more mile to go!" I hurriedly start it again and continued running. I didn't want to run to the driveway to the house because I know I will be tempted to stop then, so I ran further down the road and then turned back. Ran down the driveway (we have a loooong driveway) and to the back of the house, to the pool house and back 2 loops around the front yard. And yes! Rennur chimed again to give the seal of approval. I stopped and I was happy. That's my happy face, post 6-miles.

The Data:

Mile 1 = 11:58.92
Mile 2 = 12:47.77
Mile 3 =12:13.28
Mile 4 = 11:41.76
Mile 5 =11:25.79
Mile 6 =11:26.30
Total = 6 miles @ 1:11:37 (Average: 11:56/mile).