Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

I'll have to find a photo of a butterfly there. Holy cow mileage this week! Commando points in order for sure! I don't even know if I've ever cracked the 50 barrier! :D. Always fun to run with family. How is SnoFlake doing?!

Great mileage this week.

Thanks for the melatonin recommendation Dr. Sno. The last two nights I have slept like a log. I'd heard of melatonin before but always sort of wrote it off as another psychosomatic fix that had no merit. But looking on the web, I saw that it had some real benefits for people. Question: do you use it every night? Long term short term?

HC - SnoFlake is having fun. She is a very thin person and is working on building up some leg muscles. I asked her today whether, when we take a walk break, it is the legs or the lungs that want it, and she said, "the legs." I love sharing this with her. So few years left!

JD - I'm so glad you found it and it helped! You *can* take it every night. I know people who do. When I take it: 1) if I want to fall asleep very quickly, like when I'm not in bed quite as early as I planned, 2) if my sleep patterns have been disrupted by stress and I need to reestablish them, 3) if I "enjoyed" a cup of coffee too late in the day ;) 4) while traveling, especially night before a marathon, and 5) if I'm going to try to go to bed at some ridiculous hour in order to run earlier than usual. (Melatonin + eye mask + ear plugs = ready to roll at 4 AM.) In the end, it turns out to be once or twice a week, but sometimes I go a week or two with none and other times more frequently. I've never noticed any dependence whatsoever. My natural sleep habits are pretty good and I fall asleep within minutes if nothing is really bothering me. Hope that helps! :)

p.s. on the melatonin... it may just be me, but I find it works better if I take it with 1 aspirin. Without the aspirin, I tend to sleep like a log ...until about 3 AM, not good. I don't remember how I stumbled upon the aspirin trick, but keep it in mind if you don't get the whole night like you should.

Congratulations on a nice run this morning.

Is your MIL still there?

Thanks Snoqualmie. Interesting about the aspirin. I'm more likely to take Ibuprofen than aspirin. I'll experiment and see what works best. So far so good though!

Hello!!! I am just stopping by to check on you! How nice to run with your daughter, how old is she?

Sounds like you are doing well. I just noticed you have done 18 marathons. Last Sat. was my 18th as well. What is next for you on your race calendar?

Hi Sno: Its 87 degrees here today! Didn't expect that. Nice miles to follow up your tough workout yesterday. I like the rhythm of a hard workout, followed by some easy miles.

Carolyn - MIL left last night.

Leslie - Hello to you too! My DD is 12. She has a blog too, blog name = SnoFlake. She is a joy. Congrats on your 18th! My next 26.2 is Victoria BC, in October.

A-Em - Totally unacceptable heat and sun, but I am happy for you. lol We should cool a little soon I think.

Victoria is wonderful!! Is this your first time to run there? When is it?

Yes, my first Victoria. I have long avoided it because I heard it was very hilly. Turns out, these are just "gentle undulations," and that the race scores extremely high on a comparison of Boston Qualifiers. I hope it's true; I'm taking a chance. But gentle "rollers" are actually very good for me in a marathon; they allow the various leg muscle groups to rest a little as the terrain changes. If I am wrong and the hills are awful, I'll still get a really pretty marathon out of it.