Go, you chicken fat, go away!

Vickie wanted to run Usery this morning.  I guess I did, too.  We got up, but not nearly early enough.  Even though it was 7:30am when we started, it was warm.  I wanted to run 5 or 6 miles, but I wasn't feeling great.  I was doing all right, but was very cautious of my knee.  So if I even thought it was about to hurt, I would stop and walk.  Finally, at 1.75 I decided to turn around and go back.  There was so much traffic today!  Right after crossing the intersection, there must've been 30 cars in a row!  I didn't see a single cyclist until half a mile in, though.  Anyway, when I turned around I wanted to get a drink of water from my wife, so I stayed on the right hand side of the road despite the traffic.  I took a swig and she gave me the keys.  I then crossed the road and headed down.  Right before the bottom there was a group of about 20 cyclists together all wearing white shirts and white helmets.  They looked hardcore.  I crossed the intersection again and saw that the Salt River Tubing parking lot was filling up with people ready to tube down the river.  Since Vickie was running 5 miles, I had nothing to do but watch girls in bikinis.  It really sucked.

My wife woke me up when she came to bed last night.  I couldn't believe it was only 11:30pm.  I went back to sleep and woke up again at 2am.  Just a tad too early to go running, but I did go potty.  I woke back up again at 5am.  It took me a while to get out the door.  It was 6:22am and felt like it was warming up already.  It really wasn't that bad, but I could feel some heat from the direct sun rays.  I actually felt decent today.  Not great, but not bad.  As I was heading south from Brown Road, I saw two people walking together on the other side of the Canal.  They both had bright orange shoes on.  I recognized the lady as the old lady I see all the time out walking.  I then recognized her assumed husband as Gary Prahl, my Strava friend.  I didn't know they were married!  At least, they better be married.  That would be weird to walk with some lady you're not married to and have matching shoes.

I later saw a blanket laying on the Floodway path.  I took a picture of it.

Yesterday I noticed that my legs were pretty sore.  Like the soreness you feel after having done more than you usually do.  In my mind I didn't feel like I had done more than I usually do.  I did a mere 3.75 on Saturday and two loops yesterday.  I thought about skipping today to be safe. 

I rememebered that today is Cinco de Mayo.  So last night I asked my wife what would be for dinner as we culturally appropriate Mexican heritage the following day.  She said she didn't know yet, but that tonight (last night) we would be having tacos.  However, the meat that she had set out to thaw in the morning was still frozen come night time.  So she decided to buy tacos instead.  And she decided they would come from Filiberto's.  Honestly, I think this will be the last time I eat Filiberto's.  It tastes well enough, but it does stuff to you.  Unmentionable stuff.  I woke up at 1:30am.  I went to the bathroom and couldn't get back to sleep.  I was just laying there uncomfortably cursing all the 'Berto brothers.  At 3:45am I made the choice to go running.  I got dressed, went to the bathroom again, and started out at 4:21am. 

It was lovely out.  67º.  Dark.  Very dark.  But still I was able to spot a small white cat near the stop sign.  It crossed the road and scampered away when it saw me.  Then I started to hear dog collars.  I worried that the cat would get attacked by an unseen dog.  I looked around for where it was coming from and finally I was able to make out the sillhouette of a woman walking three dogs.  She crossed the intersection heading west right when I was crossing heading north, turning west.  I said good morning to the early riser.

I was feeling okay for a while despite the soreness in my legs.  The highlight of the run was seeing a shooting star.  I turned around to head back south down the RWCD road.  I got to almost a mile when all of the sudden I had an immense shooting pain in my right calf.  I stopped right away and walked over to the nearby power pole to stretch out.  It wasn't long before I knew I wouldn't be running anymore.  So I stopped my Strava and set it for walking.  I walked a half mile home. 

It was a painful walk.  I saw someone with a light down at the bottom of the Floodway near Adobe, and I wanted to see who it was, but I couldn't get there in time.  I got home and went back to sleep.  It's 9am now and my calf still hurts.  I blame Filiberto's.

After two and a half weeks off, I decided to test out my calf.  It behaved.  As I was running towards the stop sign, I saw a lady walking across the street.  She disappeared behind the house.  Once I got beyond the house I was surprised at how far away she was.  She had started to run.  That's when I realized it was Sister Ray.  She went to the other side of the Floodway and turned north.  I thought we might cross paths once we both switched sides.  But she stopped about 20 yards in and stood there for a while.  I passed her up and I could see the Schumachers ahead of her.  I wondered if she would catch them.  I then continued running and saw a lady running towards me.  She said good morning to me and I asked how she was doing.  She said she was doing great and asked how I was doing.  I thought, "this lady is way too happy to see me."  Then I realized it was Sister Allen.  I got to the other side of the Floodway and saw the Schumachers, but Sister Ray was gone.  Where did she go?  It's a mystery.

I saw so many more people out today than yesterday!  I wondered if I had gotten out later.  I checked Strava and I actually got out about 30 minutes earlier today.  I saw a lady that I was pretty sure was Sister Porter.  I waved at her and she waved back.  But the closer I got, the less I thought it was her.  Embarrassing... I saw the Schumachers again.  I stopped right before I got to them to take a picture of a momma duck and her kids.  I then ran a little more when my right calf started to hurt again, so I immediately stopped and walked the rest of the way home.