Running in a Storm: Not Suggested

Friday Run Distance: 5 miles Friday Run Time 41 minutes

Saturday Run Distance: 3 miles Saturday Run Time: 25 minutes

Sunday Run Distance: Unknown (3 miles??) Sunday Run Time: 30 minutes?

The good news: Friday's run was amazing. I was scheduled for a tempo run and somehow I ended up running at a pace of 8:15 for 3 miles. (Mile 1 and 2 were supposed to be warm up/cool down but somehow I still ended up running at a decent pace for those too). But anyway, I was very happy about the 8:15 min/mile.

Saturday's run was great as well. Woke up early so that I could get a 3 mile run in before the busy day.

Now Sunday...I was supposed to get an 8 mile run in. It was kind of gloomy and stormy all day and so when it finally got a bit sunny out...I decided to head out. Well prior to my leaving, I saw "severe weather" alerts on the tv. I shrugged it off because so often those alerts don't really mean severe weather in your area. I took off running and noticed some really nasty looking clouds in the distance and some lightening. I was at Andy's house and I haven't ran over there yet so it was a challenge in itself just to make sure that I remembered my journey so I could easily return. Luckily, Andy had suggested I take my phone. I actually ended up needing it anyway because I had forgotten my Nike + receiver after charging it and thus couldn't figure out mileage. Anyhow...I'm headed out and as I saw the clouds I kept battling with "Should I go back, it is lightening," to "but Alien says that it's nice to run in the rain". And so I was waiting for the sprinkle drops, not really thinking about a major storm. But I kept on running for a good 20 mintues. But then, eventually the sky started to look really scary and I heard sirens going off in the town over. So I headed back. I texted Andy to let him know that I was headed back so that he could come find me if I didn't return within a reasonable timeframe. Just as I turn the corner onto Andy's street...it pours. And I mean...not just a sprinkle. The street was flooding beneath my feet and my running shoes were soaked. Then the hail started in...Yes...hail...pelting my back! Andy called me and all he could hear was "ahhhhh!" So finally I made it Andy's house...soaked and looking like a wet dog. About 10-15 minutes later baseball sized hail was falling. I'm quite lucky I wasn't stuck in THAT. I'm pretty sure I would have been knocked out and on the side of the road somewhere.

Lesson Learned: Do not run when the skys are turning dark.

Oh and on a side note...there was a tornado that touched down a few towns over. (And if you've see the national coverage...one that touched down about 20 miles away that devestated the town of Hugo.

Needless to say...I didn't get my 8 mile run in. But I'm sure to get it in this week because I've rearranged my schedule to have my long runs on Wednesdays to avoid the hassle of fitting it into a busy Sunday.

A Fish at Sea

Distance: 7 miles Time: 1:16



Yesterday I was actually starting to feel better so I decided to go for a run. It was in the 60's here and actually quite pretty outside so I decided to take my new Nike + system to the trails. Well...I don't have the internet at home right now so I had no music on the Nano. BUT I figured out that the Nike+ system still works without it. So...yes...I was a dork running around with headphones in my ears and no music playing in them. But the Nike+ feature was excellent. I set out on a trail that I had been wondering about for quite some time and realized it goes clear into the Cities. It was so beautiful outside with tons of cyclists and roller bladers galore on the trail.



I loved being able to run outside and knowing how far I'd gone. However, I ended up with a killer dose of side stitches again. But for the most part I was able to control them. The real killer was the runny nose factor. My nose started burning something fierce at about Mile 3.5. So I began walking to try to prevent the running nose. And then realized hey...I'm going to have to make it home 3.5 miles! Yikes...forgetting about return time is not a good thing. The trail was just so beautiful that I wanted to keep going. Anyways, I ended up with some pretty bad side stitches part way through the return (while walking). But then they went away after a mile or so and I ended up running the last portion. It was actually an interesting run/walk yesterday. The Nike+ system told me that my pace was 8:10 which is actually greater than my pace on the TM so I figured this may have been why the side stitches were pretty bad. I have a harder time trying to stay at a slower pace when I'm outside. But maybe the side stitches will just go away and I won't have to keep worrying about it. One can only hope that some miracle will happen.



Tonight is likely my last workout before the 5K this weekend. I have class tomm until 10:00 pm and then class on Saturday. It looks like I'll probably be running the 5K in the rain and cold. But oh well...I'll deal.