Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

Yesterday was Non-runner Nancy's 10K on the 10th. Thanks Nancy for organizing that! Like Marcy, I wasn't able to do the run on the 10th, but I did it today. So, I figured if Marcy did it a few days early, and I did it a day late, we could split the difference. So here's my race report...

The morning began with the gale force wind/rain storm that woke me up at 7:00 a.m. I dutifully rolled out of bed and geared up. I opened the front door, stepped out in the front porch, and was almost knocked over by a gust of wind. I decided to forgo the morning run and wait until after church, hoping that the weather would turn. No such luck. I decided to take a nap when I got home and wait out the weather.* Two hours later, I geared up again and headed out the door. The rain had stopped, but the knock-your-socks-off-wind was still an issue. I spent the majority of the run battling with the wind, which either wanted to push me into oncoming traffic, or throw me in the ditch on the side of the road. I decided to stick close to home and run one of my usual routes in my neighborhood. However, the storm had created a virtual obstacle course of downed limbs on the streets. It felt very much like this Nike commercial (I was the Native American chica in the forest).

On my third loop around the route, I saw this lady taking pictures of her yard from the street. I thought it was an odd time to take family pictures, even if it is Mother's Day...they must like the wind blown look. However, when I got closer to her yard, I realized she was taking pictures of an enormous tree that had snapped in half and had fallen on a power line...which I had run past twice without noticing. Apparently, I'm not the most observant person lately. You would think I would have taken note of a potentially life-threatening danger...wet roads + rain + enormous tree + downed power line = certain death or at least making my already curly hair more afro-like.

I finished up the 10K in about an hour. I'm pretty sure I ran further than the 6.2. I don't have the distance measured on that particular route yet. I've been running an average 8:30-9:30 minute pace on my normal runs, so I figured if I ran for an hour, I would have the race covered. I considered it a success that I survived the run without electrocution.


*I have been dragging arse lately. I'm NEVER this exhausted. When I run, my legs feel like lead. I RARELY take naps. I could have slept through until tomorrow morning, but I didn't let myself. Any advice on what this could be? I haven't had a change in diet or sleep schedule, and I have been hydrating like normal (and no, I'm not preggers).

sweaty keys

I'm famous for getting locked out of places...

mostly just my car and my house. I distribute my spare keys around to my friends and neighbors so my poor dogs don't get left without food, water, and potty breaks on a regular basis. After all, who wouldn't want to help a face like this....that's Buster, by the way.

So, here is one of my most famous key stories, and since it relates to running, I am posting it on my blog.

I moved to the STL area about four years ago from the Denver area. There is a very popular park named Washington Park (locals call it Wash Park...not Warsh Park, as people who live in southern IL would call it) that is frequented by runners. They actually have a great 5k run there called the Furry Scurry...you have to be a dog lover to appreciate it.

One lovely Memorial Day weekend, my roomie at the time (and one of my best buds) decided to go for a run in the park. We made pancakes before we went and decided to bring the leftovers to feed the ducks (Coffee Betsy, I thought of you and Jack's goose episode when I wrote this).

When we arrived at Wash Park, we left the pancakes on the dash of the car, locked the car, and went on our merry way. A couple of laps around the park later, I took the key out of my shorts' key pocket, retrieved the pancakes, and relocked the car. Now, in between the ducks and the car was a VERY large, grassy field, littered with picnicking couples and napping weekenders. We cooled down, walking across the field, and feed the duckies. When we arrived back at the car...tada!!!!....no key. Crap. Crap. Crappity. Crap. Crap. Crap. Now, Kir always had a theory that if she just counted to ten, I would find my keys. Her theory usually works, but not this time. So, we proceeded to retrace our steps across the field, sifting through lots, and lots of grass....looking, well, like total morons. No key. No key at the duck pond. Crap.

So, we approached a non-psycho looking picnic person and asked to borrow their cell phone. She agreed. I also had to ask her if she happened to have the number for AAA. She did. Denverites can be a friendly and useful bunch. So, a few phone calls and several hours of waiting in the field, I paid out the arse for a locksmith to come on a holiday and break into my car...so I could get at my spare key...which of course was conveniently INSIDE the car.

On the way home, we stopped at Safeway. Sitting in the grassy field for several hours made me into a swollen-eyed sneezy mess....had to get allergy relief. We both had to pee too. Once in the bathroom, I pulled down my shorts and tada!!!!!! Wouldn't you know it?! I heard the tell tale klink-klink of my key falling to the floor.....it was stuck to my sweaty stomach.....and not in my key pocket. Niiiiicccce. I walked out of the bathroom and said, "Guess what I found?!"

It's a good thing Kir loves me, because otherwise I wouldn't be alive right now. I maaaay have ended up at the bottom of the duck pond.