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I know y’all totally don’t care, but I still have to post my marathon training progress.
Yesterday I drove over to the gym* to do my 4.5 mile long run (the long runs occur on the weekends, and we’re upping them by 1/2 mile every weekend until the race). I didn’t realize that the gym opened at 11 on Sundays, and it was only 10 a.m. I didn’t want to wait around for an hour and I really didn’t have anything to do in the meantime, so … (yes, you guessed it)… I went running outside instead. In this motherfucking SNAKES ON A PLANE heat. Not having eaten breakfast.
From my office to the start of the Katy Trail (not named after me, thanks for asking, but it is well marked and flat and wide (somewhat like me)) is 1.5 miles of partial shade, and from there I hopped on the trail and went an additional 3/4 mile before turning around and starting back. Up to that point I’d been feeling pretty good, but shortly after the turnaround I had to stop and walk for a little while. Then about 2/3 of the way back I had to stop and sit down in the shade for a bit, then I walked most of the rest of the way. I think that getting cold chills on a 90 degree day is a sign that you’ve overheated yourself. “I am gonna be SNAKES ON A PLANE if I don’t just walk from here,” I thought, and actually took my own advice.
You’d think I would have learned my lesson after the last couple of times I decided I could handle running outdoors in Texas in the hottest part of summer. But noooooooo. Give me a few weeks to recover, and some part of my brain begins to tell me that THIS time it will work out fine, go ahead and sweat, you’ll feel great afterwards!
So anyway. I feel like I kinda screwed up my 4.5 mile weekend run because even though I technically traveled 4.5 miles, not all of it was running.
However, I have redeemed myself. Today I ran 5 whole miles at the gym, in a row, no stopping, when I only needed to do 3.25. That’s a first in my life. I’m pretty proud of myself.
* Yes, I drove 7 miles to the gym rather than run on our perfectly good treadmill at home. I think I’ve screwed myself with this treadmill thing. I need to gradually get used to it, say by doing 1 mile runs and then going up from there as I acclimate myself. But I’m not doing 1 mile runs anymore. So running on the treadmill seems like it would be a waste of my time.
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost.
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it’s queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there’s some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.