(G) This last week’s training schedule, particularly Sunday’s run, put the torture back in this weekly report.
Holy distance, Batman!

Torture has returned
Forget 50 miles, 20 miles is far, uncomfortable, and sometimes a slug fest from start to finish. At mile 1, I was hating life but hopeful that my usual first-mile misery would soon fade until at least 12 or 14 miles. To be fair, the misery was there at miles 12, 13 and 14. The issue was that it had been my constant companion for miles 1-11 as well.

Thankfully, I also had Johnny Armani as my other constant companion. He never seems to tire of the miles, my complaining, whining or second-guessing. He just smiles, nods and continues to run on… far head of me.
I spend a fair amount of time analyzing his gait and foot strike as he’s always in the lead. After 20 miles I think I have it all figured out.
He may not appreciate my insights but I feel like they are spot on.

Heat Wave

Earlier in the week, we “enjoyed” an 8-mile heat-wave run that, while great training for the Howl race, was utter sweaty misery. When you break a full sweat and nothing on your person is dry within three miles … and I am not much of a sweat-producer… that’s saying something.

Get a life

If those two days don’t sound like enough torture, there was my Friday night, yes I need to get a life, 12-miler.

Let’s just say that by 4:30 pm on a Friday I was feeling like dinner and movie was about my speed. But at only a slighter faster pace than sofa-sitting, I did manage to complete my 12 miles but not without a lot of complaining to myself, texting Lowi and complaining some more. But I knew I’d be happy when I was done. I don’t know if that falls into the same category as you feel better when you stop beating your head against the wall but …

Challenges

As of today, I have accumulated 133 miles, hit all my challenge days even though there was some creative combining along the way. On Sunday, I couldn’t bear to do a squat, a plank or anything else after returning home. And dutifully on Monday I did my challenges and other things to try to become stronger. Hmmm we’ll see what happens.

A little help!

And there is a possibility that I am still the most out-of-shape distance runner ever. Where are my abdominals? Where is my six-pack? I think I have been more than patient.
Universe, can you help a sister out?

Pocahontas Upate

I started July off with a bang!  Having 18 miles in by the 4th of July felt like 108 miles would be knocked out in no time.  Yet I found myself with 68 miles to go on July 22nd!  What was Pocahontas to do, but persevere?  And persevere I have, I am and I will.  I have run 40 miles in the last week with 28 to finish by midnight Thursday, July 31st.  I may need every single hour to get it done, but I will finish.

I have been out in the morning, afternoon and evening some days to get it done.  And while G was out sweating through her high mileage this weekend I turned on Netflix, the fan and ran my sorry butt on the treadmill.  I am not ashamed that I sometimes choose to be a fair-weather runner.  Sometimes you just need all the comforts you can muster to get ‘er done!

I will let you know on Thursday when I finish!

A Brave New Trail

Despite the occasional treadmill/Netflix vice, you know how Pocahontas loves to run the trails. Well, this week I discovered that a brand new dirt trail (ROAD) had been blazed just outside of my neighborhood.

So, I went to check it out on Friday.  Pretty quickly, I noticed that there were construction trucks in the distance, but…they were quite a distance away, so I went for it.  It’s a nice, wide, dirt trail (ROAD) and it was a nice change of pace from the usual neighborhood scene.  About 3/4 of a mile out a giant front end loader started toward me.  Hmm.  At this point I was still optimistic that these trucks were not going to ruin my run.  Surely, this truck was just going to head down the trail and go away.  I decided to make a little turn, check out the hill and then double back behind the truck as there was only way out.

My plan worked for about 30 seconds.  I was running behind the truck hoping when he made it to the road he would just keep on keepin’ on and that’s when I heard something else.  Yep, I had a big water truck following me. You know the kind that sprays water out the back end.  Oh, this was getting good.  Mr. Water Truck kindly turned off his sprayer as he passed me and waved.  So, I kept going.  I could see the road, I was almost there.  That is when Mr. Front End Loader decided he needed to take another swipe at the trail (ROAD).  Ugh!  There was definitely not enough room for both of us and clearly they did not realize Pocahontas was just trying to get her groove on!

 

So, I took to the weeds.  I ran as quickly and gracefully as I could as Mr. Water Truck was patiently waiting for me to exit the trail (ROAD).  I waved and decided that perhaps a run through the neighborhood was a good idea.

 

Here’s to Adventure, Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G

 

Tuesday’s Torture Report is a running log of our progress as we train toward fitness, specific races or our latest exercise-related obsession. Lowi’s working toward Becoming Pocahontas and G’s latest adventure goal is Howl at the Moon 8-Hour Ultra.