The Long Run, Again



Ready to Rock and Roll, photo credit: Addie.





It's running!!!



I told Peter that I was going for a long run today and he said, "I thought you already did your last long run?" I replied, "this is my first long run." We laughed, he said, "Oh, yeah, the last one is in Madison". Yeah, real funny, smart guy. What can I say? He's always been there for the insanity, thick and thin. I might as well indulge loyal reader and let you know that I'm on the pristine Oregon Coast. Thank goddesses I finally got a break from that heat because insanity can only carry a middle aged mother so far, every run was costing me loads of sweat and causing stomach upset. The recovery time after these hot, humid runs is really something to behold. Why do I know this? Because I've run for three days running (heh heh) and I feel almost chipper! Yesterday I set out to plot my run course and even went to the lengths of driving the course to measure distance (a rare indulgence). I also wanted to take Dad's Subaru Loyale out for a ride to see how it's running. Mom is trying to get rid of the auto and I'm heartbroken that I can't drive it or ship it home without undue expense. We'll see how this storyline ends, I'm not completely surrendered, but goodbyes are likely on the horizon, sniff, sniff.  And yet, I digress, yesterday afternoon I took the car out and plotted a fabulous twenty mile ride/run. Loyal copilot in the backseat, we took a few shots, this is what we've got, not an over-documented run, which is a good thing, if you think that I was running, instead of walking, standing around, sitting, etc...So now that it's all over, how did it go, you ask?  Not so bad. Not really fast, but that's the way it rolls.  I stopped once at the Casino to use toilet (urgent) and refill water.  This is about 4.5 miles in.  Then again stop at mile 8 at roadside store for gatorade.  Both of these stops were unnecessarily long, so it definitely slowed me down.  Sometimes you just get to talking to somebody or doing something and there goes the run. poof! 



Mile 12.9...thinking about tomorrow morning. This is the North (and South) Jetty of Siuslaw River



I stopped again for water refill at mile 13, although I had hit the bushes or portolet more than once between.  Then at mile 15.3 stopped at public restroom where I had planted powerbar over a light fixture, then up the last hill to golf course, down into town on my usual loop, and back home.



On top of the hill, parking lot of golf course, mile 16





Pretty cheerful for a nearly four hour excursion.  Total?  64 oz. gatorade, water 64 oz. or less. 3 power bars.  Started at 51 degrees Fahrenheit and never rose above 70, negligible humidity and no wind.  4 significant hills, and numerous rollers. 

I ran into Kathy only minutes after I left Greentrees, and she was on her way back home.  We hugged and chatted, I told her how long I expected to be out, and she said I better get going!  Needless to say, as I turned the final corner onto 9th Street (mile 18.5) a red hybrid with a yellow ribbon magnet zoomed by, beep beep!  There she was, waving at me after so many hours out on the road. I knew I'd hear about this later, and I sure will!



No post-run photos, it was that sort of day.  I walked into all sorts of activity here at the house, but I finally got the new camera up and running so later on I had Addie take a few decent photos of the now-famous swimsuit cover-up of 2011.  I'm so proud of this piece, if you haven't heard, yet! 








Addie: "Smile, Mom!"





It doesn't get any better than this...



The back is a little slouchy, and crochet aficionados,

summer wear does, ahem, stretch out.