Association - Windy

3-11-12  Well, I am back on track after a really bad week.  I will not wear high heels again, at least until I am done with this marathon.  That was a ridiculous loss of training days and a somewhat miserable long run this weekend as a result.

Today I ran the south part of the Olentangy Trail.  I am not sure that I will do that again.  As you get towards campus, there are parts of the trail where it just ends and they route you on to streets.  Because the trail is along the river anytime they route you away from the river , it is a straight up hill run away from the river bank.

I had a hard time today.  I only ran 1.5 miles the whole week, last week.  I went in to a 12 mile run, not really ready :(.   Thankfully the weather was beautiful.  When I got to the park it was 39 degrees.  When I left, it was 62 degrees!  I felt good for the first 6 or 7 miles, then I started to get tired.  When I passed Whetstone High school, I saw that the water jugs were there for the MIT runners.  That is about 3 miles in to my run.  I didn't

 want to start drinking water then, but thought it would be a good point to get water on the way back.  I made it to the halfway point, 6 miles, and started back.  I talked to Kai briefly at 8 miles and I was getting close to Whetstone.  I was looking forward to the water and this was one of the things that was keeping me going.  I also noticed at 8 miles that my toes on my right foot felt funny,  I felt like my 3rd and 4th toe were either swollen or blistered.  It felt like there was no room in my shoe.  I didn't even want to stop and take my shoe off for fear of not being able to get it back on.  I really thought they'd be purple or something.  I just kept going.  When I ran, my toes felt okay.  When i walked a little, my toes felt like squishy and too pushed together.  It was kind of grossing me out ( to use a 7th grade term).  I kept going.  I saw the football field at the Whetstone High school, yeah, water soon.  I got close to the wall where they had the water jugs and they were gone!  Oh, I was so disappointed.  I guess I was running too late in the day and they had picked up the cups and the water jugs.  I will have to get some kind of water thingy.  Either a belt with water bottles or maybe I can find my camelbak that I used to use running.  I have no clue where that is.  What a bummer that the water wasn't there.  I now knew I just had to finish the run without.  There would be nothing in between :(  The last two miles of my run were really hard.  I really think this is because I hadn't run much at all this week.  I have total confidence that my half marathon next weekend will be really good!!!!!!

I saw my very first flowers of the season today!  Yeah.  Daffodils and crocuses.  Spring is here about a month early.  This is so unusual to have flowers blooming in mid March.  Normally I would worry that this is to soon and that things will freeze, but with the winter we have had (or NOT had) I don't think this is an issue.

I did finish my 12 miles.  I am so excited about this.  If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever run 12 miles, I would have laughed at you!!!You or anyone else!    My biggest worry now is making sure that I can find the time to make sure I train during the week.  Today proved to me that you cannot continue to increase distance over the long haul without increasing miles during the week, very important!

Windy

Who's peekin' out from under a stairway
Calling a name that's lighter than air
Who's bending down to give me a rainbow
Everyone knows it's Windy

Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin' at everybody she sees
Who's reachin' out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Windy
And Windy has stor-my eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
Above the clouds (above the clouds)

I had dinner on Thursday with my book club.  As I told them about my running and my blog and my music, one of my friends, Sally, told me that the first band she remembers was the Association.  I decided to listen to some of their music today.  When I heard Windy, it brought back so many memories of my child hood.  I want to say it reminds me of Thunder Mountain, but not sure why.  Maybe someone from my family will remember.