9 Miler on the Luce

Last weekend I finished up with a 9 miler on the Luce Line (See previous post for more info on Luce Line). This time we hopped on the Luce Line near Maple Plain so that we would get to see a little bit more of it. Andy rode his bike alongside me again which is nice because then I don't have to carry a pack of water. I started out pretty slow because my legs were really tight from the previous day's race. It was a tad bit windy and chilly but as long as I was running--I was fine.

Halfway through the run I needed to stop for at a restroom. Just as I was slowing to a walk, a snake jumped right out in front of me and I made some funny noises. I LOVE running out in the middle of nowhere with nature but I hate it when creepy crawly creatures scare me! Haha.

The middle part of my run was probably the best as that is when I finally seemed to get my groove. Towards the end of the run, I started to get really tired and Andy was trying to push me along as best as he could.

This weekend I have a 10 miler planned. 30 Days out until the Minneapolis Half Marathon!!

In other news...Go check out Julie's Running Blog for a giveaway. She is another Twin Cities area blogger!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

The 9 mile mistake

This weeks runs went okay. Nothing really notable happened on the short runs--still a little bit of a struggle though some of them but I can't really complain. Started to experience some knee pain but nothing really bad.

The 9 miler started out okay. The wind was blowing pretty hard right at me on the way out but I kind of appreciated the fact that I wasn't drenched in sweat and looked forward to the return when the wind would be blowing behind me. Well, I don't think I was quite so lucky. The wind had died down quite a bit by the time that I was headed back. I also had thought that 9 miles was still short enough that I wouldn't need to bring a hydration belt. I was quite wrong. Around mile 6, I started to feel really weak and I attributed it to being low on water and fuel. I had eaten a Fiber One bar before I left but I don't think it was quite enough. I was completely exhausted around mile 7 and looking for a water fountain anywhere that I could find one. I found a brand new one--that had no water. All I had pushing me forward was the idea that the sooner I got home the faster I would get water. I called Andy while I was about a mile out and asked him to bring some water outside for me because I'd be home within 10 minutes. I've never been so happy to see a jug of water.

Anyways, I have a 10 miler this weekend that I definetly will be bringing my hydration belt for. And some gels. I never brought gels on a 10 miler last year and was fine, but I definetly was out of energy on my 9 miler this weekend so I think it would be a good idea. My legs were also killing me later in the day. Not sure what that was about because I did do tons of stretching.