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September 18, 2004
friday running
oh man, was i tired this morning. after a long ride back from the east bay last night...the traffic on the east bay bridge was horrific (they have been doing major construction work in this area now for months...retro-fitting the bridge for earthquakes, etc.)... i got home and i realized i had to prepare an outline for the next unit we're teaching in sophomore biology (i of course did too much work )...and by the time i hit the sack it was close to 1:20 am.
i was meeting my coworker at 6:30 am at phoenix lake for a run. i thought i would never make it...but i did. we ran the same course i ran with the kids at practice on wed. (4.5-5 miles) we ran up eldridge over to the water tank and down fishgrade. the pace was easy...we talked the entire way and it was nice to run when the sun was up (the last few early morning runs all started in the dark...)
my friday was terribly busy. i felt like i was rushing and running from place to place all day at work. i had meeting/classes all the way up until practice. for practice the team went to concrete pipe. my co coach ran a tempo run , my brother in law came to practice and ran w/our top female runner who wanted to run "the pumpkin run" (a notoriously tough run with a reputation for just being brutal...), and i was going to run out/back with the main pack of runners...but then a few kids wanted to try the pumpkin run...but weren't sure if we'd have enough time, etc...so we ran a brand new loop...we ran out concrete pipe trail up to the ranger 's station along the single track trails by bon tempe and then we cut over to the pumpkin trail and ran the 2nd half of the pumpkin run. running with the 3 xc runners was so relaxing. i think they each were having different types of days (feeling good, feeling sick, feeling inspired...). all in all i think we all enjoyed the thrill of a new run, the winds were blowing slightly, the temperature was perfect and on the way back my brother in law & the top girl came stampeding down the trail...the boy i was running with and i looked back and we could see them coming...i said to him...ok we have about 1.5 miles left...let's work hard so they don't catch us....well 1/2 mile into our quest...they caught up with us....but we stayed with them...and it was an exhilarating way to finish up the run...i was proud of all three of the runners who ran the "alternative pumpkin loop". it was about 5-6 miles..and the pace was faster than usual...and they kept an open mind and pushed themselves...so what's not to be proud of!!! :)
by the time we got back to the school after practice...i was thoroughly beat. i couldn't wait to crawl into bed and hit the sack early..but i had already commmited to hiking up to the west point inn on mt. tamalpais (a ~ 2mile hike) to meet some friends for dinner...my brother in law came along...and it turned out to be tons of fun...!!! at around 11:00 we hiked back down to the car...we brought our friends dog with us...b/c dogs aren't allowed to sleep over in the cabins...it was a fun local mini get away adventure !!!!
i'm taking saturday off...i'm racing the jamba juice 5k on sunday. it's a PA race so the team i run with will field a team. i'm taking the top two runners on the high school team with me. i think they should run really well. i'm hoping to run under 19 minutes... ideally somewhere between 18:30-18:45...but i have no idea where i'm at... so we'll see. i'm feeling pretty beat but i'm anxious to run on the roads...on a relatively fast course with great competition. they'll be at least 20 women who will run faster than 18:30...i think...!
Posted by liz at September 18, 2004 12:22 PM
Comments
Good luck tomorrow!!
Posted by: Alison at September 18, 2004 02:53 PM
Liz, The outing sounds like so much fun! I hope you are RESTING a lot today! Jamba Juice is an awesome course! I can't wait to hear how it goes. Good Luck and Stay Positive! I am thinking of you.. set your sights on the women ahead of you and DON'T let up. How many runners win free Jamba Juice this year???
Posted by: Mary at September 18, 2004 03:10 PM
I was just wondering what city you live in- wherever it is, it sounds beautiful and you don't know how lucky you are to be out on trails all the time. I live in Miami where the longest "trail" I've seen is about 800 meters. And completely flat everywhere. And did I mention incredibly hot and humid? Anyway, are you in California? Have you heard of Lake Forest? My husband has applied to a job there, and I'm all for moving if it means trails and hills and less humidity!
Posted by: jill at September 18, 2004 03:14 PM
Hi Jill
Yes, I live in Northern California, the bay area...just 15 minutes north of San Francisco...Which Lake Forest are you talking about...the one in the Tahoe area or the one in Orange County (Southern California)? Either way...you will have lots of access to trails, the water, and amazing weather!!! My brother lived in Miami for 4 years and when I would visit him...I would always search for a place to run...I'd usually run around the campus or along the beaches...but it definitely wasn't the same as trail running. Good luck with a possible move. How exciting! :) Liz
Posted by: Liz at September 18, 2004 05:00 PM
This is probably belated, but good luck on your race! Meghan
Posted by: Meghan at September 19, 2004 04:22 AM