Some like it hot

Well, it's the end of May here in NC, and that can only mean one thing. 90 degrees and humid! I have been doing the bulk of my running in the mid morning or early afternoon, since I work at night. I now come to the phase where I must shift over to early am runs, probably right after work.

I taught back to back spin classes at the gym, last night and this morning, which has somewhat disrupted the run program this week, along with the heat. I am determined to get out there early this evening for a short run, then back out on Thursday, early in the morning. I also hope to get in some nice long trail runs this weekend. Hoping to hit Umstead Park on Friday morning, before it gets crowded. At least the trails have a good amount of shade, and if I am really hot, there is always the creek!

Run hard, run haoppy, stay cool!!
  

Kilian's Quest Season 3 teaser

The End is nea...... oh. wait. really???

After an abysmal week of work, here I am at "Rapture" weekend. Apparently the world is coming to an end tonight at 6pm EST. I immediately snapped into action yesterday and went to Fleet Feet and picked up some Honey Stinger energy chews. If it all goes down tonight, I want to be properly fueled.

Why is it that every time the Amgen Tour of California comes around someone comes out of the woodwork and decides to "come clean" about their use of PED's? The largest cycling event in this country is going on and there is some misty eyed former cyclist admitting to a very concerned looking journalist that he could not bear the shame any longer and had to tell the world he was shooting EPO back in the late 90's. Oh yeah, and Lance was there too! Of course!! So was Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Victor Conte! When is the book coming out?
Look, I don't know who to believe anymore myself. I just think the timing sucks. We get a chance to see some amazing world class cycling in our own back yard, but all everyone is talking about is the upcoming 60 Minutes show on Sunday night.

I did manage to get in some good runs this week. The knee is doing well. Got a 5K race coming up in two weeks, so I scouted the course this morning. Uphill finish......awesome.

Now, off I go to assemble the Apocalypse emergency kit! I figure on firing up the stereo at around 5:55pm, and dropping the Doors "The End" on the CD player and dip into those Honey Stinger treats.

See you on the other side!

Aesop and Mayo

Got out early this morning to run with some friends, like 6:45am early. We had a good seven + mile run, and it was nice to have the workout done and be back at the house at 8am! It had been quite a while since I had done a "road" run of that length,  and the knee held up well.
Around mile six, we saw a rabbit, who paced us for a little while along the side of the road, before returning to the woods. We then turned onto another street, only to be met by a turtle that was crossing the road. The symbolism was not lost on any of us, as it appeared the turtle was ahead of the "hare" at the time. When I reached the turtle, it looked like he was clearly employing the "Galloway" method, but he did look strong!

The humidity was still with us this morning, even with the rain/thunderstorms pushing through last night. I was soaked from head to toe at the end, and apologized to my friend Heather in advance for leaving a huge rorchach ass print on the seat of her SUV on the ride back to her house.

While out food shopping later in the day, I came across this rather disturbing product:

Wow.

Run hard, run happy. 

Feelin' Lucky

After seeing favorable results from my 2 mile "test" run yesterday, I decided to give the knee a "Trail Test" today. What better day to throw caution to the wind than Friday the 13th??? Now, mind you, I was still operating the knee in "safe" mode, so it was going to be nice and easy.

Spring is officially here in NC, and along with it, the God forsaken humidity. I had with me my faithful trail running partner, Hannah, and we were barely several hundred yards into the Peninsula Trail at Harris Lake when we saw our first snake of the season!  Much wildlife on the trail today. One snake, one deer, three turtles and several HUGE Blue Herons!

I am happy to report that there were no problems with the knee, and we wound up doing five easy miles.

Have a great weekend!

Cross training and frozen ravioli

It has been almost a week since I "tweaked" the ole left knee on a trail run. I took it out for a two mile "test" run today, and so far so good.
 Taking a mini break from running got me back on my road bike last Monday, which was a nice change. ( I had not been on it since December 2010!) I taught spin class Tuesday night AND Wednesday morning, so I did try to maintain some fitness this week.
My companion on this recovery has been a 24 oz bag of frozen ravioli, which I have been using to ice the knee. It wraps around the knee quite nicely. I have used it so much I am surprised I have not brought it to a state of "al dente", as it has sat thawing out repeatedly on my knee.

Erring on the side of caution, I will not be doing the "Gauntlet" run this weekend. Mud pits, dirt walls and truck tires does not seem like suitable rehab at this point!

So I will be patient, and take things slow and easy...... and maybe put on a pot of tomato sauce for this ravioli!    

Prom weekend

I am proud to say I have survived another grueling endurance event...... sending two daughters to the prom!
 I will take a half marathon in the woods any day!

I am taking a break from running for a few days thanks to well hidden rock on the trail Friday. Apparently, my left knee did not enjoy the run as much as the rest of me!  Teaching spin class Saturday morning was quite a challenge, as well as mowing the grass was afterwards. After some repeated icing sessions and rest, it is starting to feel better. What doesn't kill us..............

 Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!