A Good Night's Sleep

Sunday, August 7, 2016:

Tonight - I'm tired!  I went out to run/walk 14.7 miles today and ended up going 17 miles instead.  When I got to the turnaround point at about mile 11, I felt so good that I added another neighborhood.  That would have been enough, but then on the return I gambled that I could find a footpath between a cemetery and the next neighborhood west, and lost the gamble, having to double back.  All in all that gamble and three other smaller ones probably cost an extra mile or so.  The good news is that I won't make those mistakes again, but the other good news is that today's unplanned extra mileage didn't hurt a bit.

One of my little out-and-back gambles ended when I saw a sign "No Trespassing - Minnesota Department of Corrections."  Apparently I was heading directly onto the grounds of Minnesota's OPH maximum security prison.  I turned right around.  :-)

This was a hot, hilly run, perfect training for the next marathon, just six weeks hence.  Down to the river, and then back up by a different route, a 300-foot elevation excursion with some up/down wobble along the way.  The route included parts of four different cities, one of them new to my running routes since we moved to our present home.  The more I explore, the more lovely trails and quiet neighborhoods I find just a short distance from home, and I certainly found some today, less than a mile and a half away.  I'll be back to those.

Whining: NONE.  I took three Clif Shot gels along the way and refilled my 16-ounce water bottle twice.

My watch malfunctioned today (cockpit error no doubt) so I don't really know how long it took me to go 17 miles, but I think 4:32 is probably close.  The total elapsed time is more, but I'm not counting a few nature break stops and a few chats with people along the way.  This was a wonderful run/walk, and I feel great.  I'll take a day or two off now, though.

Saturday, August 6:

About 3.7 miles with the SCV Runners (Karon) in about 53 minutes.  Nice.

Friday, August 5:

Oops I Got Lost   More than once.  I ran to the river and back, 10.5 miles, and again learned a lot about my local world.  Warm but not too hot, a lovely, hilly run.  Time 2:51:38, pace 16:21.  That's too slow for a marathon, but I'm not worried.  I can go faster.

Wednesday, August 3:

George and I explored a hilly park that was new to me.  Very nice time - about 3.7 miles I think.