Twenty-three miles

Twenty-three miles! Today's long run went down Sunset to Lake Merced, around the lake to Fort Funston, down to the beach for a few short steps then back up the Great Highway to Golden Gate Park. We then took a meandering route through the park and back to the Windmill, where the group ahead of us stood to cheer us on to the finish line. It took six and three-quarter hours to complete the run—we started at around 8:30 am and finished at 3:45 pm. Whew! That was a long day. My legs were very tired and sore by the time I was done, but otherwise I felt good. And hungry! Fortunately, our intrepid water volunteers also provided us with jelly beans and pretzels along the last few miles of our run to keep us fueled to the end.

Last week's ten-mile run, which I forgot to write about, was one of our most scenic yet. We ran up the Great Highway to Point Lobos, along Camino Del Mar through the woods, along Baker Beach, through Sea Cliff and the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. It was a beautiful trip, but not an easy one, with lots of hills and and running on sand.

And it was also the day of the Goo Disaster. I'd had one goo packet left over after the previous run and just left it in my pack all week. Unbeknownst to me, the packet sprung a leak somewhere along the way, which I didn't notice until I was on the bus on the way to the run. Sticky sugar goop all over everything. And, to make matters worse, I thought I'd thrown away the leaky packet, but around mile five I discovered that I'd thrown away the wrong one, and the leaky packet was still in my pack, oozing goo all over my tee-shirt and my jacket. Finally got rid of the leaky packet, washed out my pack, and went on my way, but by that time, of course, I was already a sticky gooey mess. So it was the day I ran to the Golden Gate Bridge, covered in sugar.

New shoes

I have new shoes! Yay! After four and a half months of training, our coach suggested that it's time to think about new shoes, since the old ones are probably wearing out by now, and we'll want a new pair broken in in time for the marathon in December. This time, I made sure I had plenty of room for my big fat toes, and my feet were very happy all through the run.

Today's run was a lot of fun. For one thing, San Francisco has been having one of its occasional late summer/early fall heat waves, and the weather was clear and beautiful and hot—probably around 90 degrees. Now, some people would say that was too hot to run comfortably, but I like heat and enjoyed running with the sun beating down.

The other really nice thing was our route—we got to run through Fort Funston today, the site of several old World War I batteries on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Today, it's a recreation area, full of trails where people walk their dogs and go hang gliding, with great views both of the ocean to the west and Lake Merced and the city skyline to the east. Yet another of the city's attractions that I've never been to before! I thoroughly enjoyed discovering it.

After the run, I did something our coaches have been recommending that I haven't yet tried— walked out to the ocean and soaked my feet and legs in the cold surf. It felt great, especially on a hot day like today, and it really does help your legs recover faster from a long run!

Twenty miles

Woo hoo! Twenty miles! I've got to admit, I was worried about this one. My hip is still not one hundred percent, and after having to miss the eighteen-mile run, I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to manage. But I did it, and it wasn't really all that bad, considering! My legs got very, very tired and sore by the time it was over, and my hip did ache some along the way, but otherwise I felt good and didn't even collapse when I got home.

I'm definitely thinking it's time for some new shoes. My hi-tech re-engineered shoes have covered a lot of miles, and I think my feet are starting to feel the wear. Besides, I'll want to have a new pair broken in by the time of the marathon. Which is only two months away now!

Nine miles

Well, I'm back on track—I did the nine mile run on Sunday. My hip was pretty sore by the time I was done, but I put ice on it when I got home and, while it hasn't stopped hurting entirely, it's at least no worse than it was. So I'm crossing my fingers, doing the stretches my coach showed me, and planning to do the twenty mile run this weekend. I will probably drop back and run with the next slower group, just to make sure I don't push myself.

My hip may have been hurting, but I looked good! I finally went to the Sports Basement and bought myself a couple of cool running outfits to wear. That's 'cool' as in CoolMax, a special material designed to keep you dry and cool while you exercise. I also bought a runner's watch, for timing my walk/run intervals and splits, and stocked up on goo for the long runs. So I'm ready to go! Hawaii, here I come!