This last week seemed to be the longest running week ever. My plate was pretty full all week, so that probably didn't help things. One of the cool events I had the privilege to attend was the Janji Launch Party on Thursday night. Janji is a new apparel line which is aiming to fight global water/food issues through the sales of their products (approximately $4 from each sale will help provide clean water/food in selected impoverished countries). The initial countries they are looking to assist are Kenya and Haiti - all of the apparel has some sort of that country's theme in the design. For instance, the shorts that I purchased are in the Kenyan national colors, and has some of the flag design printed on the shorts. One of the owners, Dave Spandorfer, is a buddy and fellow Big River runner, and did a fantastic job to help create this wonderful concept. Big River Running carries the new Janji products, so stop in today to pick up a pair of shorts or a shirt, and help out the cause!
Monday, April 30th - 0! Legs were shot, and ended up going to the Blues playoff game instead. Awful game, as it would end up being the last STL home game of the season. Pretty mad at myself for not getting in that one more mile to hit 200 for April, but oh well. 199 miles for April, 702.5 miles in 2012.
Tuesday, May 1st - 6 miles. Timmy came into town at night, so we ran out and back towards Troy on the trail. Legs felt like garbage, but eventually loosened up. Hot and humid outside, and I felt like poop. 53:04 total.
Wednesday, May 2nd - 6 miles. Ran this solo and home - trail run out and back towards Troy. I remember splitting low 37's through 5 miles, and needing to slow down which I did. Low 45's overall for the run.
Thursday, May 3rd - 6 miles. Treadmilled it at my buddy's apartment gym complex. I forgot how much I truly despise the "dreadmill". I kept looking at the LED screen to see where I was at and would get infuriated when it was only 0.06 miles further (even thought it seemed like it should have been a mile further), and it seemingly took forever to go through the workout. Not to mention, air circulation was awful inside the complex. 48 something overall. Afterwards, went to the Janji launch party at the Big River's West County store, and officially bought the first pair of Janji apparel!
Friday, May 4th - 4 miles. Ran solo and kept the effort very easy. Out and back on the trail sans watch, so guessing 35-40 minutes. Legs were a little bit beat still, so hopefully not too bad tomorrow. At night, went to the symphony which was amazing as usual - the main feature was Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which I had the privilege of performing with the SIUE Symphony Orchestra back in the day. Amazing to hear in person though! Dinner at Triumph Grill, not very far from Powell Symphony Hall and pretty much on SLU's campus. Very cool place to eat at, and great food!
Saturday, May 5th - 4 miles (1 up, TRIAD 5K (19:10, 3rd place overall/?). Woke up bright and early and drove down to the race with Tim. It was already getting warm and very sunny, and figured this might be a nasty day because of the humidity (80-90%). Warmed up with Mike and Tim, and just felt like crap. Very sluggish, and not with it. Got off to a good start, but immediately fell behind 4 people on the first mile. Some guy was working off me and literally on my @ss, so kept weaving until he finally got the picture and got off me. Split the first mile at 5:54 (perfect), and tried to get locked in. Made a few turns through some neighborhoods before turning around in a cul-de-sac and headed back towards the finish. At this point, didn't feel very good and the weather was starting to get to me, especially with 0 shade. Split 12:10 through 2 miles (ugh), but just didn't have it nor any legs for that matter. Passed a guy to get into 4th place, and started reeling in the 3rd place guy (annoying drafter). Pulled up to him at about the 2.5 mile mark, then summoned what little strength I had left and made a move. Before we turned towards the finish, looked over my shoulder and saw that the coast was clear, and fell into cruise control and finished the race. Mike and Tim finished shortly after, and we hung out for a bit with Crystal, who came to spectate. Mike and Tim both won their age groups (Tim PRed!), so reasons to celebrate! 0 cooldown afterwards - just felt like poop, and didn't want to move. My time was pretty much garbage, splits were all over the map, but got the most out of what I could get that day. Podium finish and some bling made me feel a little better though.
Sunday, May 6th - 12 miles. Ran with Crystal and Mike bright and early. 6:30 a.m. start, and it was already in the 70's with 80-90% humidity. Legs were just dead, and knew this was going to be a rough long run. Fortunately, Crystal was merciful, and tucked in behind Mike and I and let us dictate the pace. Out and back on Old Faithful - started to really get tired around mile 5 as we climbed up Meridian, but felt better coming back. The sun was getting to me in the unshaded spots, and my legs weren't responding very well. Last mile was a war of attrition, but we survived. 1:41 and some change overall (~8:26 average pace), and about 10 lbs. of water weight which was sweated away. This is going to be a rough summer. In the afternoon, made it to the Civil Life Brewery in south STL for their "Pigs and Pints" festival. Very cool festival with some great food and beer. They roasted a couple pigs (the pork was mouthwatering!), and had a lot of local produce brought in for some delicious side salads, and we sampled quite a few of their beers (Dunkel was my favorite). A great time to end a fun weekend! 38 miles this week, 38 miles for May, 740.5 miles for 2012.
Hoping this week of running is better. Last week was definitely forgettable, as there wasn't much to get excited about. The weather looks like it's going to cooperate though (low 70's all week), and hopefully the humidity simmers down as well. Group run and drills tonight!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment