Long Run; More Gear

It's Sunday morning so it must be the Long Run. I couldn't wait till it got warmer. Still, it was 50 degrees when I began, as opposed to 38 last Sunday, which was very comfortable. I ran in a long-sleeve top, tights, and my white pair of Nike Victory shoes. (Trying to mix up shoes to avoid knee problems--that's the advice, anyway.) I began with cotton gloves and ear warmers (I'm a real weenie when it comes to cold ears), though I removed the gloves after an hour.

I began very comfortably and my hear rate remained fairly low for the first half hour, and not too high after that. I ended up with an AHR of 161 (LT is 180), and a max of 176, which I got going over the peninsula hill. My route today was from the house, down Lee's Hill, then left on 3440 to the bridge. I crossed the bridge and continued on the other side of the lake (3220). I planned to run 45 minutes out and then turn around, but I ran into a pack of dogs at 851 CR 3220 (remember that address in case I am mauled in future) and turned back early. I retraced my steps and arrived at the base of Lee's hill well inside an hour. I continued south on 3440 and almost made it to Taste of Italy before the one-hour mark. I continued on around the peninsula, over the cut-through, and back to the base of Sadie's Hill (3469). That left me about 30 seconds shy of my minimum goal of 1 hour 25 minutes, but I'd run out of road. If I'd contine on back to Taste of Itale, etc., that would have added about twelve minutes to my minimum goal, and that was too much to risk. The final count from MapMyRun was 7.46 miles in 1:24:34. The time included a minute of walking (or maybe it was seconds--seemed longer) when I encountered the dog, plus picking up and dropping off my water bottle at the Hottinger's and again at the base of Sadie's Hill. (Yes, we're only talking a few seconds, but I feel the need to defend every second of slowness!)

Back home I immediately used my ice pack for my knees, hoping that would prevent sore kneecaps. (It immediately produced sore knees in that the ice enhanced short-term stiffness.) Jim was in the kitchen making a turkey sandwich. I asked him to make me one, but apparently he does not take orders as a short-order chef so I had to make my own. By the time I finished it I was almost shivering, so off to the hot shower.

It wasn't until I disrobed I discovered a major "bo-bo" (as Emma would call it): a blister a few centimeters long cutting across my chest. I had noticed a tiny cut there earlier, probably made by a cat, but it was healing. Guess rubbing it for an hour-and-a-half with my heart rate monitor rubbed off the scab and then some. When the water hit it it felt like someone assaulting me with acid. It got a little better by the time I exited the shower. I put some Neosporin on it but it remains very sore. (I just hope it is a blister and not the start if something worse, like the shingles. I've had the shingles once before, and I thought you couldn't get them again. I hope that is true.)

I worked some on the computer while Jim sawed away at something outdoors. I checked today's results from the Tour Down Under, etc., checked my online classes and graded a few essays. Then, it was on to...shopping! My gosh, it's amazing how much money I can spend on gear and none of it "high dollar" stuff. Spend $2000 for an aero wheelset? Hah! But $20 here or $35 there, etc., and it adds up. Like this X-Lab Carbon wing. The wing itself was not terribly expensive, but then I had to buy two Gorilla cages to go with it and a couple of extra straps. Then today I had to search to find an X-lab tool bag that would fit it and purchased an inflation center (X-Nut, two cartridges, and a Nanoflator). I think now I would have been better off if I'd just purchased the entire Carbon Wing kit from Trisports and been done with it. (Can't remember now why I didn't.) I really, really don't want to think what my credit card bill is going to look like when it arrives....