Double without Trouble

 

This weekend I did something I hadn’t done in awhile.  Well, technically two things I hadn’t done in a while.

Thing #1 – I ran in the rain.

I went to Waterfall Glen forest preserve with my running club where it proceeded to rain on us for almost the entire run.  When I arrived my fellow club members were huddled together underneath the small overhang of the bathroom roofs.  The rain didn’t seem to be letting up so finally we decided to brave it.

“But I’m not even training for anything!” I whined.  “I don’t HAVE to run!”

Apparently, though, my legs felt differently.  I actually ran on both Monday and Thursday of last week so this was my third run of the week.  Something I haven’t done in months.  You’d think my legs would be dead.  Nope.  After a slower first mile I ended up running negative splits and feeling amazing.  I ran the first 30 minutes with the club and then turned around and ran the second 30 minutes by myself.

I swear, rain makes you run faster.

I always forget how much I love running in the rain.

Thing #2 – I ran two days in a row

After running Monday, Thursday and Saturday my left leg didn’t feel too bad.  I’ve been rolling out my hip using a combination of a tennis ball and a foam roller and it seems to be helping some.  So when Kim suggested a run on Sunday morning I said sure.

She was coming to my house to help me finish packing for my move but first we took advantage of the non-rainy weather with a 5 mile run through my soon-to-be-former town.

I was totally overdressed.  Apparently I’ve forgotten how to dress for running. 

Anyway, it was a nice, easy (aka slow) 5 miles and my leg didn’t bother me.  Hurray! 

Was it smart to go from 5-10 miles a week to double that?  Probably not.  But at this point I’m just doing what I want and seeing how my leg responds. 

And after tonight’s run it will probably become a rest week.  If you call getting ready to move “rest”! 

Sweet Sixteen

The last time I tried to run sixteen miles it ended with me in tears. And during the first part of my marathon training this time I totally skipped my sixteen mile run and went straight to eighteen. Fine by me.

But this weekend, when I originally thought I'd be doing 18 miles, I realized that if I'm supposed to be tapering then I probably already run a few too many miles during the week. So instead of doing 18 miles I figured I'd just try that whole 16 thing again. Plus, this way Kim could do the entire thing with me instead of having to ride her bike next to me for two measly miles.

I debated where I wanted to run but, in the end, it was back to the good old Des Plaines River Trail. Seems like most of my marathon training long runs have been on that puppy this year. Different parts of it, but at this point I think I've almost run the entire thing.

Anyway, we met up at the Half Day Forest Preserve which is about 40 minutes from my house (if you ignore the speed limit *cough*) at 7:30 AM on Sunday. The weather was drizzling and cool. Quite a few of my OPRC friends were running the Fox Valley Marathon or 20 miler so I hoped they were enjoying the decent running weather.

Kim and I tried out our race day outfits just to make sure they didn't chafe, bunch, or ride up. Success on all front!

Except for the minor chafing I get from my fuel belt. Someone remind me to lube up underneath that thing on marathon day!

Anyway, the first few miles felt rough. I'd woken up on Saturday with an incredibly sore left hip. After a day of ibuprofen, rest, foam rolling, ice, and some quality time laying on a tennis ball (you know, when the foam roller isn't punishment enough) it felt better but not 100%. Thankfully, it didn't really bother me while running. I just felt tired. I worried about what I'd feel like on marathon day. But around mile 5 I seemed to perk up. And then I think it was mile 8 or 10 when I took some of the Shot Bloks with caffeine. Then I REALLY perked up. Those things feel like cheating. I was chipper and felt strong for the rest of the run. I could have easily gone further. I was actually surprised when my watch beeped at mile 16. Done already?

I think that's a good sign.

Sixteen with Kim by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Hazards of Summer Running

There are a lot of things that are less than perfect about running in the summer. The crazy tan lines are just one of them.

But the other, bigger issue is the heat. After dealing with a record breaking heatwave throughout most of July we thought we were in the clear. But the summer heat reared its head once again at the end of last week. And of course it decided to show up on the day I'd planned to run 22 miles.

Still, I really wanted to run with Kim and we figured we'd survived the brutality that was the heat of last year's Chicago Marathon. What's a little bit of running when it's 90 degrees outside?

I forgot how miserable it is to run long distances in that kind of heat. I was in denial.

Kim and I met at Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve at 7:15 AM on Friday. I'd taken the day off work so that I could run with her and get my long run out of the way and enjoy my long holiday weekend (yay for Labor Day!). Although Waterfall Glen is hilly, the crushed limestone path is a nice mixture of sun and shade.

We started out and the sun was still hidden by the overcast sky. The air temps were warm but not unbearable. We did one loop of the 9.5 mile trail, stopped at the car for some water, and the did a little bit more for a total of just over 12 miles. That's when Kim switched to her bike to help me finish out the last 10 miles.

I managed another three miles before my body and my willpower started to crack. By this point the sun had burned off the clouds and the temperature was rising. Although I'd been good about sticking to my run 2 miles-walk a minute strategy I had to walk a little bit extra at mile 15. And then I just kept walking more and more. I walked up the hills. I walked every half mile. Then every quarter.

When we finally made it to the water pump at my mile 19 Kim gave me a pep talk. I made a plan to run .9 and walk .1 of every mile. And walk the hills. That lasted less than a mile.

Then I started crying. And having trouble breathing. I think I freaked Kim out a little bit. It reminded me both of how I felt at the Chicago Marathon and when I did my sixteen miler last year. I underestimated just how much of an impact the heat has on me.

Kim hopped off her bike just before mile 21 and began running and pushing her bike. I couldn't even keep up with her! Still, she encouraged me to finish that last mile. I didn't really have a choice considering I still needed to get back to the car somehow!

Finally I hit 22 miles! All I wanted to do was collapse onto the grass. But, no, Kim made me keep walking while she got me some Gatorade and cold packs and a granola bar. I managed to stay upright long enough to swap my running shoes for my flip flops and then we went on a quest to find a creek in which to take a makeshift ice bath.

We stood in the creek for about 20 minutes before leaving for a late lunch.

This run was hard. Definitely the hardest one I've had so far this year. I think it was a combination of temperature, not enough rest between runs that week, and thinking about it too much.

Still, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a total loss! According to the McMillan Running Calculator I should be doing my long runs between a 10:30 and 11:30 pace. Even with all the walking (but subtracting the stops to refill my water bottles), I managed an 11:20 pace. That's still faster than my pace at the Chicago Marathon, too!

If anything, I learned that I'm a stronger runner than I think. And that having your best friend there as emotional support is key. I would have finished this run if I'd been by myself, but it would have been the toughest thing I've done in awhile. I'm much happier Kim was there!

22 Miles with Kim at Waterfall Glen by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

In Reverse

This past weekend it was Kim's turn to run 20 miles. Of course I joined her since I needed to do my long run as well. Just because I ran a 10K the day before doesn't excuse me from my marathon training!

Kim and I have also been really lucky this year to be able to do so many of our long runs together. Good thing, too, since we're planning on running the Milwaukee Marathon together. Of course, at the marathon we'll be both be running the whole thing. No one will be hopping on their bike at any point.

Oh, you may notice in these photos that we're wearing matching tops. We didn't plan that. I showed up at her house on Sunday morning and when she opened the door I realized we were dressed identically. I love it when that happens.

Anyway, we drove over to Independence Grove which is this beautiful park where you can get on the Des Plaines River Trail. We met up with Bobbi who was finishing up her 20 mile run and kept her going for her last four miles. Then we were off to do what was supposed to just be another seven miles for me.

But Kim talked me into doing a total of 14.5 instead of 12. Why? Well, partly because we had to go further to get water than we had originally thought and partly because we figured out on Saturday that if I ran 14.5 I would have 40 miles for the week. I don't think I ever hit 40 miles last year. The allure of having a 4 in front of my mileage for the week was strong.

Doesn't mean I felt strong during that entire 14.5. Oh no. I felt like death for the last 2 miles. Kim was awesome, though, and kept me going.

And then I switched to my bike and encountered another first: first time falling off my bike. Luckily I fell over because I was going too slow and I fell into the grass. An abrasion on my left shin and exacerbating an already bruised toenail were the only damage. Well, and my pride.

Kim finished her last 5.5 miles strong! I don't think I was much help since I was still pretty out of it. I'd neglected to bring enough Shot Bloks and since I originally figured I was only going to run 12 miles I didn't take it all that seriously. Oops. Still, we finished!

The lovely thing about Independence Grove is that in addition to all the trails there's also a small beach on the lake. We went over there after our run to cool off in the water. Natural ice bath!

Okay, it wasn't THAT cold. Well, maybe a little bit. The sun that we wanted to go away while we were running waited until we were in the water to hide behind the clouds. Thanks, sun. Thanks a lot.

Regardless of my struggles it was a fun time and I'm happy Kim had such a good 20 miler. Now I'm really starting to look forward to the marathon!

Long Run with Kim by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Three and Twenty

When I looked at my total mileage for last week I realized that if I wanted to keep going with the 10% increase thing I was going to either need to add in another day of running or run 20 miles on Saturday.

Since my schedule was such that squeezing in another short run during the week was probably not going to happen, I decided I'd try for my first 20 miler of the season on Saturday.

Thankfully I had company!

Kim, Claudia (from the Oak Park Runners Club) and I were doing a triathlon relay on Sunday so we had to go up to Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin on Saturday to pick up our packets. We all had to do long runs, too, so we figured we'd do it together on Saturday. Kim directed us to the trail head of the Des Plaines River Trail. At first we weren't sure we were going to be able to run. Rain and thunderstorms followed us most of the morning. And having run my first 20 miler in less-than-stellar weather I wasn't looking forward to doing it again.

Thankfully the storms cleared up right as we stepped onto the trail. We also counted ourselves lucky that the air temperature was cooperating. Starting a long run at 11:00 AM in August is dicey but we tempted fate. Overcast and upper 60s/low 70s? Fine by me.

Claudia and Kim only planned to do 16 miles so we did an out-and-back on the trail. We took 1 minute walk breaks every 2 miles and I was feeling pretty good. Shortly before mile 8 I was running along, minding my own business, when Kim said, "Oooh, look! A snake!"

Cue my screaming.

I hate snakes. Even 12 inch long garter snakes.

I tiptoed around the snake and practically sprinted to the 8 mile marker. I was REALLY apprehensive about going back the way I just came but thankfully the snake had moved on to wherever it is that snakes go when they're not laying in the middle of trails.

Between miles 11 and 12 we took a short detour to a gas station to refill our water bottles. I took a caffeinated strawberry Clif Shot Energy Gel to supplement the non-caffeinated Clif Shot Bloks I'd been taking every two miles. It was surprisingly tasty! Unfortunately, I don't think my tummy liked it so much since I started having some GI issues toward the end of the run. Good to know.

Other than having to make a restroom pit stop when we finished the 16 miles, I felt pretty strong. I knew I had it in me to do another 4 miles. So while I used the facilities Kim and Claudia hopped on bikes so they could keep me company on the last bit of my run.

I finished my 20 feeling strong but tired. I was really glad Claudia and Kim were there and that Kim was entertaining us by using her phone to play upbeat music. Amazingly, nothing hurt post-run. My knees felt okay. My hip felt fine. My quads were tired but not painful. My GI tract was still mad at it me but it wasn't anything one more trip to the bathroom and some Immodium couldn't fix.

I plan to do another 20 miler in a few weeks but I'm thrilled to have already done this one. It's such a confidence booster to have a good 20 mile run and I'm thrilled I was able to share it with my friends.

20 Miles with Kim & Claudia by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Trail of Dreams

Ever heard of Dyersville, Iowa? Ever seen the movie Field of Dreams? The baseball field built in the middle that corn is in Dyersville. But that's not the only thing that's there. Nope. There's also the trailhead for the Heritage Trail, a 26 mile jaunt that runs from Dyersville to Dubuque, IA.

Kim and I both had long runs to do this weekend and since we had already planned a trip to her family's cabins on the Mississipi River in Guttenberg, Iowa we knew we had to find someplace to do our run. We certainly could have looped around the town of Guttenberg a few times, but Kim had a better plan.

We drove to the trailhead and, after a few false starts, purchasing a trail pass, and some exploring, we headed out into one of the most scenic places I've ever run.

Sometimes it looked like this:

And sometimes it looked like this:

The weather was pretty beautiful, too. Cooler than it has been, less humid, and overcast for much of the run. Still, we knew we'd have to make a pit stop for water and possibly bathrooms so Kim, using her impeccable planning skills, found a gas station in a town a mile from the trail. Thank you to the Casey's in Farley, IA where we bought water to refill our fuel belts.

Originally I had only planned to run 16 miles this weekend but Kim had 18 on her schedule. I adjusted my mileage earlier in the week so that I wouldn't make too large of a leap between weeks and decided to run the full 18 with her. The plan? One minute walk breaks every 2 miles and a pace between 10:30 and 11:30 minutes per mile.

Aside from a slightly more extended break during our pit stop at the gas station, we stuck to our plan. Except my Garmin only recorded 17.27 miles. Why? I got distracted by these guys:

Cows. And bison! We stopped to look and take some photos and I paused my Garmin. Guess who forgot to turn it back on until almost three-quarters of a mile later? Yep.

The run went surprisingly well. No hip or quad pain and only a little bit of shin and knee pain. The 3+ hours Kim and I were out there flew by and I still had energy to spare at the end. So much energy, in fact, that when Kim egged me on I ended up doing this:

Yeah.

Eighteen miles is good to me. Or maybe those Shot Bloks I took every two miles helped out. For the last few walk breaks I alternated between taking a regular Shot Blok and taking one with caffeine. I think it helped. I bought a few more caffeinated ones so I'll have to keep trying them out on my long runs.

Or maybe the biggest help was the company. You really can't go wrong when you run with your best friend.

18 Miles with Kim by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Trail Trials

On Sunday I joined several other OPRC runners to tackle some of the trails at the Palos Trail System about 30 minutes south of us. I'd never run this trail and all I knew about it was that it was hilly and that mountain bikers enjoy riding it. Okay.

We started running around 8:15 AM and already I could tell it wasn't going to be a great run. It was already warm and SO humid. The switchback we took up the side of a hill within the first quarter mile was already a killer and the lose gravel and occasional piles of horse crap made for some interesting footing.

Still, the trail was quite pretty. Portions were through open fields, others through woods. Knowing that it would be hilly and that I'm not used to running trails I decided I'd try for 8 miles (4 out, 4 back) and not worry too much about my pace. I ran most of the way out with one club member and the whole way back with two.

We ended up taking a slight shortcut due to our inability to follow the trail markers so instead of 8 miles I ended up only doing 7.8. Oh well. I'm honestly surprised I made it that far! There were portions during the first two miles when I thought I'd only be able to manage six miles total. Hard to believe that last weekend I ran 8.2 miles much faster and feeling much better. I think that as it warms up I'm going to start incorporating walk breaks every few miles. And just keep reminding myself that my long slow runs during marathon training should be just that: long and slow.

Regardless, I'm glad I went on this run. I enjoy being exposed to new trails and new places to run. Plus, running in the heat gives me an excuse to nap the afternoon away!

Palos Forest Preserve by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Waterfall Glen Trail Run

Welcome to Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. 9.5 miles of crushed stone paths, woods, fields, rolling hills, heat and humidity. Okay, maybe it's not always hot and humid but OH MY LAWD it was yesterday morning.

A large group of us from the running club arrived at the trail head for what I hoped would be a nice, easy run. Two people who I know run my pace showed up so I knew I wouldn't be alone. Although, since the trail is a loop I figured that I couldn't get too lost if I ended up at the back.

Since there are no drinking fountains on the path I brought my water bottle fuel belt. It felt weird to be running with it since I haven't done so in almost a year. But, I was very very grateful for the water.

My goal was to do 10 minute miles. Apparently I was in denial about the weather. The first mile went well, three of us had formed our own little group, we were in the shade, and although it felt a little difficult I figured I'd settle in shortly. We tackled a few hills and made it to just after mile 3 before we stopped to walk. However, this walking break was necessitated by the fact that the trail was flooded! So, we had to detour from the trail and walk along the railroad tracks.







By this point we were in full sun and it was obvious to me that I was going to struggle. Heat and humidity are my kryptonite. I welcomed our next break when we stopped to check the map to make sure we were on the right path.



About that time I noticed that someone had drawn these arrows into the path:



The rest of the running group was somewhere ahead of us and they had taken it upon themselves to leave us some markers. How thoughtful! They really did come in handy at a few points.

Just before mile 7 we stopped for what we thought was a working well-water hand pump. Sadly, it was chained up with a "CLOSED" sign on it. We almost went off in search of another pump some hikers told us about, but in the end we decided to just power through. Probably not the smartest idea, but I really just wanted to be done. Unfortunately, I stopped my Garmin when we were debating on searching for water and forgot to start it up again right away. Oops.

Our little group of three dwindled to two as I told the other woman to go on ahead. I needed to walk. I was pissed at myself for doing so but even though I wasn't wearing a heart rate monitor I could tell my heart rate was crazy high. So, we walked. About mile 8 the club president appeared heading towards us. He gave us a burst of energy for about half a mile and then we fell behind once again.

Finally we could see a light at the end of the tunnel and as we turned the final corner and came into view of the rest of the group they cheered for us. "YAY!" I yelled back. "We didn't die!!"

Turns out almost everyone thought this run was brutal. Literally two weeks ago we were running in long sleeved shirts. We were just not prepared for 90^o and humid. We weren't prepared for running in it or for going to breakfast afterward. I mean, we still went to breakfast but watching us make ourselves semi-presentable on the side of the road must have been hilarious. One guy literally wrung out his shirt. I handed out Pond's cleaning cloths and they were received as though they were the nectar of the gods. We shared a towel, slathered on deodorant, used the car as a make-shift changing room, and spritzed body spray. I've never been more grateful for a dry shirt and flip flops in my life.

I felt like I'd been put through the wringer for the rest of the day. This run was hard. Definitely one of those times when you wonder how you're going to train for a marathon if it's going to be hot like this all summer. I guess I'm going to have to learn to love early, early mornings. Perhaps I'll just start sleeping in my running clothes so all I have to do is roll out of bed.

Regardless of how hard the run was, I need to give a huge shout out and thank you to Maribeth for being unfailingly encouraging, Jacob for sticking with me the entire time (and sharing his LunaMoons), and the rest of the OPRC crew for leaving us trail markers, waiting for us at the end, and generally being hilarious.

P.S. I would like to lodge a complaint about the name of this forest preserve. I didn't see a single waterfall. I know; because if I had, I would have been standing under it.

P.P.S. Don't forget about my book giveaway! You have until Wednesday night to enter.

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 696 ft Location: Darien, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 05/23/10 Up/Downhill: [+646/-646] Time: 08:17 AM Difficulty: 3.2 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 8.79 miles Time: 1:39:52 Speed: 5.3 mph Pace: 11' 22 /mi Calories: 1005 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 00 -1' 22 6.0 +0.7 +39 ft 2 10' 10 -1' 12 5.9 +0.6 +33 ft 3 10' 14 -1' 08 5.9 +0.6 0 ft 4 12' 14 +0' 52 4.9 -0.4 -16 ft 5 11' 33 +0' 11 5.2 -0.1 -115 ft 6 11' 24 +0' 02 5.3 -0.0 +20 ft 7 11' 50 +0' 28 5.1 -0.2 +17 ft 8 11' 40 +0' 18 5.1 -0.1 0 ft end 13' 45 +2' 23 4.4 -0.9 -14 ft Versus average of 11' 22 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Isn't that a beautiful sight? Blooming trees, a sunny sky, a path that goes forever?

Normally I do my long runs on Saturday mornings but now that it's spring the running club has started their monthly Sunday trail runs. When I saw that this month's would be on a path I hadn't run before I signed right up! Although I tend to run slower than the rest of the group when I do my long runs I feel better about joining them when we do an out and back route. Hard for me to get lost that way!

I admit I was a little nervous this morning about being the slowpoke and making everyone wait on me to go to breakfast. Turns out I needn't have worried. I had a buddy all the way and we didn't even finish completely last!

When I dragged myself out of bed this morning I was having a difficult time figuring out what to wear. It was chilly at 7AM but I knew that after running for 2 hours it would be warmer. So I opted for capris, a tank top, and a long sleeved top. Although I pushed up the sleeves on the top after a few miles, I was otherwise perfect.

In fact, I would say that this morning was the perfect morning to run. Cool, a slight breeze that only picked up a few times, sunny but on a semi-shady path. I didn't bring water since there were a few water fountains and although I stuffed a package of sports beans in my pocket I never ate them.

I got a rock in my shoe within the first two miles but I just kept running. I barely even noticed it and it didn't cause me any problems. I was enjoying chatting with the woman running beside me, taking in the small towns and then the natural scenery on our rails-to-trails path, and just generally loving running. I did, however, remove the rock when we turned around at mile 5.5.

On the way back our conversation died a little bit but I still felt nice and strong. My hip flexors started talking to me a little bit around mile 9 but otherwise I was in good shape. In fact, I probably could have sped up some but I didn't want to leave my fellow "slowpoke" too far behind.

Overall I did eleven miles with only a few pauses. One to remove the rock from my shoe, one to grab a drink at a fountain, and one for traffic. I never once thought I wouldn't be able to finish and I never once felt like walking. A far, far cry from the last time I ran this distance.

Afterward a big group of us went out to breakfast. I ordered pumpkin pancakes, two eggs, and fruit. And I ate every single thing on my plate. And it was good :-)

I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning.

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 701 ft Location: Elmhurst, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 04/18/10 Up/Downhill: [+252/-252] Time: 08:09 AM Difficulty: 2.9 / 5.0   Weather: Fair   48 F temp; 49% humidity   48 F heat index; winds Vrbl 6 Performance Distance: 11.04 miles Time: 1:48:48 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 51 /mi Calories: 1313 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 36 -0' 15 6.2 +0.2 +10 ft 2 9' 38 -0' 13 6.2 +0.1 +29 ft 3 9' 40 -0' 11 6.2 +0.1 +4 ft 4 9' 43 -0' 08 6.2 +0.1 -3 ft 5 9' 48 -0' 03 6.1 +0.0 -3 ft 6 9' 51 +0' 00 6.1 -0.0 +13 ft 7 10' 02 +0' 11 6.0 -0.1 -17 ft 8 9' 59 +0' 08 6.0 -0.1 +9 ft 9 10' 04 +0' 13 6.0 -0.1 -3 ft 10 9' 54 +0' 03 6.1 -0.0 -29 ft 11 10' 04 +0' 13 6.0 -0.1 -9 ft end 9' 10 -0' 41 6.5 +0.4 0 ft Versus average of 9' 51 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Flagstaff Four

Click to see larger

Welcome to Flagstaff! For those of you that thought Arizona was all desert and the Grand Canyon, guess again! Arizona also has snow-covered mountains which you can see in the background-center of the photo above. In fact, Flagstaff, AZ is where I learned to ski. However, this past weekend, instead of skiing, I attempted my first run at elevation.

Let me tell you, running at nearly 7000 feet above sea level is no joke. The air really is thinner. And when you haven't had sufficient time to adjust to it, you're definitely going to feel it.

I asked my in-laws for some route suggestions and they pointed me in the direction of one of the Flagstaff Urban Trail System ("FUTS" aka "foots") paths that I could pick up near my hotel. Less than half a mile from here:



I was here:



The sidewalks gave way to a crushed cinder and aggregate trail surrounded by pine trees and with a view of the mountains. I ran parallel to Northern Arizona University for awhile and then found myself in a small ravine of sorts. The trail was mostly dry and clear up until that point. Then I found the snow:



It's no surprise there's still snow hanging around. When the snow piles and drifts are still as tall as the local Walmart (I'm not kidding) there's bound to be some in the shady spots.

I'd decided long ago that I had no time goals for this run. I purposely made this an easy week because I knew the altitude would be killer. Also killer? The hills. This photo does not do some of those babies justice.



I didn't take my headphones with me because I wanted to experience being in nature. Other than the occasional bird, though, mostly what I heard was me huffing and puffing. My legs and brain really wanted to go further and faster, but my lungs weren't having any of that. So, instead, I took the opportunity to pause and take pictures (and sometimes look for the trail!) and just enjoy the views. Because, really, when you are running somewhere that looks like this, how could you not?









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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 6864 ft Location: Flagstaff, AZ Elev. Gain: -13 ft Date: 04/03/10 Up/Downhill: [+216/-229] Time: 09:14 AM Difficulty: 3.0 / 5.0   Weather: Fair   42 F temp; 46% humidity   42 F heat index; winds SW 12 G 18 Performance Distance: 4.01 miles Time: 0:42:13 Speed: 5.7 mph Pace: 10' 32 /mi Calories: 476 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 33 +0' 01 5.7 -0.0 -20 ft 2 11' 29 +0' 57 5.2 -0.5 -40 ft 3 12' 16 +1' 44 4.9 -0.8 +39 ft end 12' 14 +1' 42 4.9 -0.8 +10 ft Versus average of 10' 32 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com