Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Wednesday Workout Update

Our run on Saturday was a bit on the brutal side, in terms of the heat and humidity.  It was 79 degrees and the humidity was about 85% - ugh, just ugh.  We ran the first few miles in a gorgeous neighborhood, but with the golf course, lawns, fountains and sprinklers, it was like we were trapped in a sauna...or a terrarium, as another runner noted afterward.  We were near the 2.5 mile mark when I got the "why in the WORLD am I doing this" feeling, and I swear, had I not been running with Amy, I probably would have taken a really long walk break.  But we kept running our 2:1 intervals, made it out of that sauna, and once we were on the main road it wasn't so bad.  We got to our turn-around point, refilled our water bottles, and I poured a little water on the back of my neck, which helped to cool me down.  We only had a couple more miles after that, and with running through some sprinklers a few times, I managed to keep cool enough to finish.  Six miles, done.

Afterward, I was talking to one of our new members, and she was a little down on herself for walking more than she would have liked.  I had to remind her, and also myself, that the conditions we run in would bring a lot of runners to their knees, and the fact that we are gutting it out during these hot months, is testament to our inner grit.  So while we may not be having the dream runs that we'd like, we are getting the time in on our legs in order to be strong for our goal race in December.  We can only hope that we'll get a cool day for that!

By the way, running through the sprinklers is a square on Runner's Bingo.  What is Runner's Bingo, you might be wondering?  Well, it's pretty much what it sounds like - we came up with a bunch of things that we've all seen at one time or another during our long runs, and made up an oversized bingo card.  Our runners write their name on the squares of anything they see during our Saturday long runs, and at the end of the season, the person with the most bingos will win a small prize. 
On this run, I would have gotten three squares (I'm not playing, obviously) - sprinklers, cyclist, and police car.  So far no one's gotten a bingo yet, but one of these mornings I'm sure feral hogs will be on the loose (eek!), and that square will be filled.

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Monday I met up with Pam and ran with her for the last part of her 13 mile run - we arranged that I would meet her at the entrance to the fancy neighborhood, so Jeff dropped me off at 7:40 am.  She came running up a few minutes later, along with her trusty sidekick, Sadie.  They stopped for some water (she'd stashed Sadie's bowl and a bottle of water for her, plus I brought a chilled bottle of water for Pam), and then we took off.  It was hot - 81 degrees and sunny - but the company was good, and we had a nice run.  We even saw three deer!  I ended up running 3.25 miles - it was a nice way to start the week.  Plus, Sadie was so cute - she'd run a new PDR (personal distance record) with the 13 miles, and when Pam was driving me back to my house, Sadie put her head on my arm, closed her eyes and just let me pet her...sweet tired dog!

Yesterday I ran hills - it was our last official hill workout.  And while I won't miss another Tuesday of hearing my alarm go off at 4:30 am and dragging myself out of bed to stand, bleary-eyed, with my running club buddies while we contemplate running (and hill repeats at that), I will miss the company.  You always hear, or are a participant in, the most random conversations that early in the morning...yesterday's included Spanish words that sound depressing when spoken by Peggy Hill (King of the Hill, anyone?) - and the only thing funnier than being a part of that conversation was hearing it from a distance...let's just say I think we may have scarred Pam for life.  I'm kind of sad those workouts are finished!

22 comments:

  1. What an awesome running group! The bingo cards are priceless, and I love the whole notion of the depressing Spanish Peggy Hill impressions... I'd have a hard time running because I'd be doubled over with laughter. Oh, and the that the "dead dillo" bingo square already has at least one winner... not something you could put on there in most parts of the country.

    And good for you for braving hills and humidity!

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    1. The odd thing is that I'd rather come across a dead 'dillo than a live one on a run - they are scary creatures with sharp teeth, and they can run fast! We see a lot of dead animals during our long run...we're just enough on the outskirts of town that a lot of wild animals get run over by vehicles during the night. Gross, I know...

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  2. This morning I had a glorious run - it was only 60 degrees and NO humidity! One of those runs where had I not run out of time, I might have gone longer.

    Yesterday, however, it was 72 degrees 100% humidity, heat index of 80 or something like that, foggy, and as our weather guy says, I was running in "the air you can wear." I swear as I was gutting it out, I thought to myself, "This is what the Texas runners deal with most of the time God Bless 'em." Actually we had quite a bit of that this summer (very unusual for here) and seeing as how I've experienced it now, I can say without a doubt, you guys should be really proud of yourselves!

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  3. Is there some place to nominate you for the Most Fun Running Club Director? Really, you need to get some kind of award for making every run so fun for your runners. Now, if you could only control the weather : )) I'm not familiar with the Peggy Hill thing, but it made me think of Henri le Chat Noir, so I laughed anyway.

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    1. Aw thanks - I wanted the running club to be fun, and I think (hope) everyone is enjoying the extras we're doing. It's definitely been entertaining to come up with the ideas, anyway!

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  4. Yes, running in the heat will make us all better runners this fall/winter, right? Right? My fingers are crossed.

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  5. OMG, Runner's Bingo is such an awesome idea! Although, running through a sprinkler is a prize in and of itself :)

    And I definitely keep having runs like your newer member is experiencing. It's frustrating to run in crappy conditions and feel like you could be doing better. I started crying in the middle of a hot and hilly run this week, it was so frustrating, but I know I'll appreciate all of this hard work and conditioning when it cools off. And I may even miss the heat a little when I'm running in snow and ice (which is probably rarely an issue for y'all!)

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    1. I'm sorry you had such a rough run, but you've done so well with your running over the last year - remember that, and just hang in there...your cooler weather is on the way a lot sooner than ours will be (although we won't have snow and ice to deal with, yay for small favors?).

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  6. Have you seen these Shelley? They are cooling towels that are supposed to help keep you cool in hot temps.

    http://www.amazon.com/Chill-Its-6602-Cooling-Towel-Blue/dp/B001B5I57I

    Love the runners bingo - a great way to keep your mind off the mileage! Great job - don't know how you even begin to run in those temps.

    I plan on walking before work tomorrow - getting up at 6 - it will be between 48-52 degrees - perfect! :D

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    1. I've tried a similar product and found that it didn't significantly cool me down, plus it was heavy and hot...it might work better for an activity where you're not moving so much, but for running, I was not a fan.

      Very envious of your walking weather tomorrow - think of me sweating it out while you're enjoying it! ;)

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  7. It makes me sad that I missed hills. I have runner envy.

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    1. We missed you, too...and this is a sign of how crazy runners are, that you are sad to have missed hills! ;)

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  8. That runner's bingo is fun!
    I had to laugh at the Peggy Hill thing because I always reference her teaching sex ed and trying to say the word 'penis' by starting with 'happiness... hap-penis' :D

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    1. And can I just say I am surprised this comment went through and not to spam with the 'naughty' words LOL!

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    2. I remember that episode! Too funny!!

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  9. I love your running group, I'd wish we had something like this. We do have them but they are just about running and not about fun. Dutch runners are very competitive, not fun to join a group. The runner bingo is so much fun.

    And you are a great coach by lifting up that runners spirit! I need you to coach me, wanna move over to Holland? At least it's cooler here :)

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    1. I sure wish I could at least join you for a vacation in Holland - we'd go running and I'd make a special Dutch version card of Runner's Bingo just for you! :)

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    2. No, I'd make one for you because you can't play in this one. Wouldn't that be fun that you could come visit me or vice versa? Well we never know, maybe we do win a lottery or something one day :)

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  10. YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!
    in other news the house next door to me is still for sale.
    I promise Id run with you!!!

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  11. Ouch, heat is not fun!!!

    The bingo thing sounds like so much fun!!!!

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