Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Greetings from the Oregon Coast!  I thought I lived in paradise, but this place is just about as beautiful.  Although I did not run yesterday, I had a about 3 miles of walking on the beach, with some jogging thrown in here and there whenever my DD was willing.  I brought my Aquabelt along as well, so I did about 20 minutes of hard water running too while my DD enjoyed the pool in her own way.  

This morning I only meant to run 6 or 7 miles, but I was having so much fun that I just stayed out.  First I ran up the beach about 2 miles and then back.  With a strong wind from the south, the first part was extremely easy, fast, and a bit too warm.  On the way back I had the cooling effect -- and the challenge of running into the wind on sand.  Nevertheless, I was in heaven, with the waves crashing and the mists on the forested mountains. The weather was perfect -- for me anyway: 50F, beautiful clouds and pockets of fog and mist, bits of blue sky. After 4 miles on the beach, I went exploring in the town of Cannon Beach and the time just got away from me.  It was one of those effortless runs, just playful and full of interesting things to see.  

I don't know how long I would have stayed out if I hadn't had my cell phone ringing with someone from my DH's work trying to find him to call his sister. That's never good news. So I had a "fast finish" and sure enough, my father-in-law had gone into the hospital for emergency colon surgery.  He'll be alright, thank goodness.  But it's all the more reason to treasure the health and happiness I experienced today. 

A run... in parts.  I was all courage this morning, when I decided to tackle the winds and the rain on the beach. Even the 16 minute pace (caused by running into a seemingly gale force wind) didn't bother me too much, knowing I would get the payoff coming back the other way.  But -- what I couldn't take was the painful pelting of the rain drops on my face. It felt like hail.  After just about a half mile, I was back at the hotel, settling for a pool run.  I spent about 30 min. with the Aquabelt, then another 30 just swimming around. I guessed I wouldn't be running today.  But by about 4 PM I thought maybe the wind had died down a bit, so I decided to try the beach again.  Fortunately it was fairly warm out (nearly 60 F), because I do not think I have ever been as wet on a run as I was today.  Though the tide was out, the beach was so covered with rainwater and crossed by little streams from the shore lands that it was impossible to keep water out of my shoes.  The wind blew rain into my jacket vents, down my collar and under the brim of my hat.  

Now, I am not complaining. Really. Except for the brief and painful "facial" of my morning attempt, I had a wonderful time. November is a great time for paradigm shifts.  The question of how wet is wet, how much wind is too much, etc., can be established now while we are still in a fairly good humor and then the storms of winter won't bother us so much.  

And about those threshold miles... I'm on vacation. But there is just no other word for the last two miles, heading into the wind, carrying a couple of extra pounds of water in my shoes and trying to get back to the hotel on a deadline.   

My house sitter tells me there is quite a bit of wet weather back home as well.  We'll be back to it soon enough, and I'll have a whole new perspective on stormy weather. :)

Objective: 3 mi easy + 5 mi @ MP + c.d.

Weather:  High 40s F.  First half of run dry and calm, w/ moonlight on western clouds, second half pouring rain and breezy (Beaufort ~3).

20 min core & weights

I'm running back at home now.  I thought I'd have a lot more energy this morning since I did not get a run in yesterday, but I felt a bit sluggish.  It's nice to be home, though.

Objective: General aerobic w/ negative split and form drills.

Weather: High 30s F, dry :) and mostly calm, thin layer of clouds with moonlight coming through.

15 core & weights

A nice run today. The first thing I saw when I went out the door was a little family of racoons in my driveway.  I know they can be a nuisance for many, but I just love them. There was very little traffic this morning and the neighborhood was unusually quiet. Maybe it was just the absence of raindrops pattering; I've gotten used to that. ;)

For my form drills I concentrated on a different aspect of form for a block or two and rotated through a sort of list: cadence, arm swing, belly breathing, heel lift, posture, toe push off, etc.  And by the way, does anyone know what this means: "sinking into the hips?"  It was a line from Marathon Woman by K. Switzer where she talks about having to "sink into the hips" in the latter part of a marathon when exhaustion is setting in.  I don't have time to go find the exact quote, but that phrase has always stuck with me and I cannot figure out what "sinking into the hips" is supposed to mean.  Maybe I'm too literal. If anyone has insights on that I'd love to hear about it.

I want to address something today from yesterday's "comment" section, because I feel it is so important. Jefferey and I were talking about mandatory national service for youths and he asked me for further details.  There is quite a lot on the internet about it, but I like the perspective of this op-ed piece. Regardless of your political party, this is an issue pertaining to our precious Constitution.  I hope I'm not out of line in bringing up a political topic here.  (And btw, another public Congratulations! to Jefferey and his family on the arrival of their new baby girl!)

I'll be volunteering at the local Turkey Trot tomorrow, then one last super-long run on Sunday, which will be 3 weeks from my marathon (CIM).  I don't think I'll taper until the following week however; I'd like to see how a shorter taper works for me and I have nothing to lose since the main goal for CIM is Have Fun, and Run Negative Splits.