Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Damn Vandals

As a runner, there's a million and one things that piss me off. Litter. Asshole drivers. Vandalism. Running out of toilet paper. Snakes. Bugs. The list goes on. I've learned to deal with most of it but it still gets under my skin sometimes. This morning I had to deal with vandals. Idiots decided to break open the sign board, toss the lock, and rip the signs out. And of course I didn't have any cameras set up to watch. Guess I will now.

And then came the bugs. And inchworms and their spider-like web string things. GAH! So while I tried to cool off from the damage done to the sign board, I had to bob and weave and try not to swallow the bugs. And the gnats were out swarming in the sunshine. Made me wish I had a flamethrower.

And then there were the dogs. I get that you want to walk your dog without a leash, I really do. But if it threatens me with teeth or a retractable leash, I'll be tempted to do something you may regret. Thankfully, all five dogs I ran into this morning were hastily corralled by their owners and were well mannered enough to not even bark at me. Thank you. That made my day a little brighter.

But best of all, I came close enough to a 12 minute mile I could smell it. Probably could have ran it but opted to just chill and ease into things. Maybe next year I can break a 30 minute 5k.

Weather:
Temps were about 50F. Sun was out. Light wind. Humidity was light.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had half a coffee and a banana before the run. Applesauce and water during the run. Recovery was two sausage and egg burritos, two slices of toast, and more coffee. Doing my best to cut back to just 2 cups a day. Rough.

Aches and Pains:
Around Mile 2 I hit a rock. One of those pointy ones. Worst part was that I landed on it on the tender side just behind the ball of my foot. Hurt just about as bad as getting hit in the balls. I walked if off and kept going. About a mile later the hole in my shorts started chafing enough to make things noticeably uncomfortable. No amount of adjusting things worked so I just kept plodding along.

Gear:
Wore shorts, long sleeve shirt, and BUFF.

Naughty Neil:
I really wanted an extra snack last night. But I waited until I wasn't quite so stuffed from my extra helping of grilled potatoes from dinner. By that time it was nearly bed time so I was able to just barely pass on the snack. But I did have a nice serving of Kahlua.

Today's Motivation:
Um, didn't really have much motivation other than the weather was nice and I needed some trail therapy.

Splits:
Start - 10:54
Mile 1 - 13:16
Mile 2 - 14:02 (includes a pee break)
Mile 3 - 12:27
End - 9:58
Finish - 1:00:39

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