Tank Top Review, Bottle Review, and a Week in Review

So this was an interesting week.  I managed to get 1 run done in the morning.  I was meeting a friend for beers after work so I needed to knock it out.  Thursday's run didn't happen on Thursday. I thought leaving work at 3pm might make me be able to get to the gym by 4...Um, try 5.  Anyway, angry and pissed, I drank a few beers instead.  Friday was to get ready for Saturday's run, so again, no run. 

Saturday was a 7 mile run.  I was trying out a few things that I hadn't tried before.  One was running in a tank top.  I am not a tank top kind of person. I don't like feeling skin on skin.  So the thought of sweaty skin on skin is just gross to me (yeah, that could be taken a few ways, I guess).  And I couldn't help but wonder if chub rub would happen between my bat-wings and my underarms.  But running in the summer in Georgia sucks.  And I couldn't stop thinking about how heavy my shirt was during the Beltline 5K (granted, it is probably the heaviest shirt I own when it is dry).  So I bought a tank top from Moving Comfort.  The other new thing was a hand-held water bottle.  I used to have one.  In his more destructive days, McMenemin ate it.  But I'm in between the running with nothing and running with a Camelbak with my distances.  So I needed something. I chose a Camelbak Handheld (mostly because of the price).

Moving Comfort Endurance Tank

Camelbak Hand-held Water Bottle

So anyway, Saturday, I put on the tank.  It was pretty thin. The one odd thing was that it had a draw string at the bottom.  I guess if you wanted to look cute, you cinch it and stuff.  Um, yeah.  I don't pay attention to much during running, and looking cute in the GA Swamp Weather is way low even on that radar.  So I just let the shirt hang.  I grabbed the water bottle with water, and left.  

Me, Pre-7 Miles

I didn't really know where I was going.  I started with my main route of down the side of the prison.  There was a train, so I couldn't cross the track, so that changed the path a little.  I went up to Hill Street, but I really hate the side-drop of Hill, so I took Milton down to Lakewood and turned to go up the bridge.  The hills aren't steep, it is just a rolling section.  I was doing run/walks so the first thing I noticed with the water bottle was that it had a twist top meaning I couldn't pull up the top with my teeth.  I had to use my hands.  Not a huge deal, although I did almost rip my teeth out of my mouth. (I guess I could have looked BEFORE running at this detail).  I got over the bridge and ran the next part of Lakewood, which is pretty flat.  My pace was all over the place.  I didn't pay that much attention...I paid attention to how my legs felt.  I got to Richmond and a cop drove by and told me and a woman who was walking to the store to stay off Richmond which wasn't on my path anyway.  Saw another cop car and an ambulance.  I got up to Jonesboro, and really didn't want to go right, which is my usual path. As I was trying to figure out right or left, I saw 3 older men sitting on the corner (yes, this is usually a drug corner).  They had a pickup truck there with a TV (and extension cord to somewhere), 3 beach chairs and an umbrella.  They were sitting in the chairs drinking some beers (I assume...they were in a brown paper bag).  The aroma in the air might make some people hungry without realizing why.  Anyway, they were quite shocked to see me come past.  I know they checked me out.  Why?  They informed me my butt was small enough and men like a big butt.  I guess I could have been offended, but it really made me laugh.  Anyway , I would have had to stop at the light to cross, so I went left.  I ran down to the cemetery and really didn't feel like dealing with a down hill for .2 miles (I was at 3.3 miles and decided to do an out and back), so I turned and did a flat street and then came back.  The guys were still there. They told me I could stop.  I told them that that was ok. 

A little further up, I tried changing hands with the water bottle.  I'm not left handed by any means, so I don't know if the bottle is not made for left-handed people or if it was just an ID10T error, but I couldn't use it.  So back in the right hand.  Although everything on the bottle was wet and sweaty, it wasn't a nuisance.  So I really liked that part.  I definitely recommend it.  The tank top was good.  The one thing I noticed is that I must use my sleeves a lot when I run because I didn't have that luxury.  Oh well.  But it was pretty nice. The return home was hilly, but done.  

Me, Post-7 Miles

Sunday I was in SC with Scuttlebutt visiting my dad (I drove up on Saturday). 

Scuttlebutt on the way to South Carolina

We went running at 630am.  After 15 minutes, I had to return Scuttlebutt home as it was too humid for him.  Atlanta was 66 degrees and 70% RH at 6am.  Northern South Carolina was 74 degrees and 90% humidity at 6am.  It was gross.  Anyway, SB was having trouble, and walking a lot, so I dropped him off, and continued my run.  It was nice to be done exercising before 715 in the morning. 

Scuttlebutt...not after the run...but I'm sure that picture looked the same

*I paid for my tank top and my water-bottle, and my thoughts on them are my own.

Atlanta Beltline Southwest 5K

D and I decided a few weeks ago to celebrate our 11th Wedding Anniversary with friends, and not on the date of our anniversary.   Or we decided it was a good excuse for us to roast a pig, and invite people over.  Regardless, 6 miles was on tap.  Last Sunday night, I was sitting on the couch and thinking, "I'm really not going to run 6 miles on the day of the party, in this humidity."  Then yet another email came in from the Atlanta Beltline about their 5K they were having.  My friend V was going to be here, and she runs.  So I was pretty sure she would do it.  D said ok.  V said ok, so we signed up.  D and I decided we would run 6 miles during the week on the treadmills.  That didn't happen...for me it was a technical issue (my bra hook decided to dig and cut up my back).  His was he had shit to do around the house, but we each got in 2 runs before Saturday (and cleaned the house). 

So Friday night, I got home from work.  D and our great friend J were prepping the pig, and I finished the Nutter Butter Butterfinger Cheesecake Bars.  V texted me she would be in around 11-1130pm.  The week had not been mentally great (some stuff at work), and I was exhausted.  OK, I'll just keep going.  I started working on the German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake, and tried to stay awake.  At 9pm, I was fading fast.  J had left to go meet some out of town friends, and D and I were nodding off.  I texted V to just bang on the door and the dogs would wake someone up. 

At 11:15, the dogs were barking, and D and I tried to figure out what was going on, and then remembered V.  We let her in. She looked exhausted.  Our dog McMenamin isn't great with new people (people he has met 100 times, but hasn't seen in the last 10 minutes, so he gets scared).  Lompoc hates people.  So V came in with McM growling and Lompoc barking.  D got them upstairs, and Scuttlebutt pretty much rolled over and gave V his puppy dog eyes, and got petted.  We talked for a few minutes and agreed to meet at the back door in the morning at 640 for our race.

The next morning, we all met at 640 and left for the race.  It was swamp-ass 74 degrees.  You can see the sweat about to land on you before it even does.  It is disgusting out.  We drove over to SW Atlanta.  It was all of 5 miles away (the race, not SW ATL...that's about 2 miles away).  The highlight of the ride was we found the Ace Hardware (the 2 D and I used to frequent have both closed).  We finally found the park, found a parking space and walked to the race and got our numbers.  V was all excited about the chip.  We told her there was no starting mat, and yes that was annoying.  Then we stood in the disgusting weather (can you tell I love the summer in GA?) for about 15 minutes.  D and I saw our old neighbors.  I know the wife placed, because she is a super runner (she qualified for her next Boston Marathon at this year's Boston Marathon).  Then the race director(s) walked us over to a trail.

At 730 we started on a trail.  As someone who always looks down, this part wasn't that bad for me.  I had been worried there might be wet spots/mud/dog-shit, but I didn't see any.  D doesn't look down so it was a little tough for him.  He luckily did look down because he would have tripped over a rail road tie.  Both V and D commented that the walkers starting up front were annoying.  (I said nothing as a slow runner).  So we ran along the trail for .75 miles.  Then onto the paved path.  I, for one, am not a huge fan of the Beltline. In theory yes, but since they paved it with concrete and not asphalt, I can't run on it for training purposes with my hip.  Still I had figured out for a race for less than 3 miles on it I would be ok. When I got to the pavement, I walked (did the 9/1 thing).  I really didn't walk a full minute.  I felt pretty good and I also saw that if I did walk the full minute, I would start running again in the middle of a hill. So I resumed prior.  Somewhere around there was also the mile 1 marker.  It was like .03 short.  My Garmin also left me some other note that said something about memory was full.  I guess since I've never uploaded or deleted anything off the Garmin, that was bound to happen.  I should probably look into that. 

The path took us through trees.  I definitely had sweat running into my eyes.  It was a lot of rolling hills.  Finally we got off the path and on the street, at the start of an uphill of a street.  The one thing I noticed is that SW streets are much nicer than SE, which in turn makes my strategy to get up the hill harder.  In SE the streets are so cracked, that you can just say, "Run to that crack" which is only 3 feet in front of you.  The cracks in SW were more spaced apart so you had to run between telephone polls.  I know, life's little problems.  At 1.5 I was really wanting some water, but there was none.  Finally I ran down a hill and there it was.  I walked for 30 seconds to have that, and then resumed again.  More rolling hills.  All I knew was we were ending on a downhill.  I thought about my friend M who is pregnant and lives in SW.  I practiced my Lamaze breathing in honor of her (or maybe it was my 185 heart rate).  I looked for her street but considering I get so turned around in races, I knew I probably wasn't anywhere near her house. I don't really remember getting to Mile 2 except my watch said it was 1.8.

Finally the race took a turn off the street and back on a path downhill.  And then a sharp turn.  I had to walk twice in this part because of the heart rate, but overall except for the fact my shirt was about 100 pounds of sweat, and I was very thirsty, I felt ok.  The path was pretty empty but I was ok with that.  I knew I was close.  I was so excited to see V (who is a petite white woman), near the finish. As I got closer, it was about a 6 foot tall black man, yelling Hoo-rah.  Maybe I was a little delusional.  I saw D, and that turned out to be a tree.  Hmmm.  Then I saw the Finish.  Please be the Finish. Please be the Finish.  This time I really did see D.  And I saw a lot of volunteers yelling at me to pick up my legs and finish strong.  Finally I crossed the finish line at 3.09 miles.  42:30 was my time (13:45/mile).

D Finishing

V Finishing

A Finishing

I will be honest.  I'm a little disappointed with that. I know I have to listen to my heart.  I know I had surgery and that may be a factor.  I know the humidity made this race suck balls, weatherwise.  But at the beginning of May with little training, I ran a 5K in 41:15.  I was 10 pounds heavier.  Still, I also know I can run, I did run, and I will continue to run.

MAP...Elevation is from someone on Map My Run, hence the 3.07

Afterwards, V and D both handed me water.  And they both know from experience to just let me get my breath and stuff and then talk.  So I worked my way to the T-shirts and we all got ours, and then I asked if we could go to the car and get in the AC.  As we walked back to the car, D and V both commented on women's bras.  They think a bra manufacturer should be at the end of races. They both commented about a large number of women who were getting smacked in the face with the non-support they had.  This made me laugh.  So we drove back over to SE, went to Sonic for soda, and came home.

D, V, and A all finished, and home

And then we had a party. 

First Week of July

I finished the first week of July with my scheduled 4 runs.  True to my commitment to not run a race on a holiday (I know I have failed this twice), I did not run the Peachtree.  Actually, it had crossed my mind at some point, and then I remembered my hatred of dealing with large crowds and it is a 10K in July.  Who am I kidding?  Plus a 10K was not on my training program, and deviating is hard for me.

So I had only gotten one run in by Friday.  I really tried for 2 but the gym was closed Thursday due to no power and by the time I got home/close to the other one it was 2 hours later (no, not because of beer, but because of traffic).  And I was completely wiped out last week.

So my heart rate is still a little wonky.  Right now, I'm only aiming to stay below 39 minutes on the treadmill. Wednesday, I didn't succeed (39:05).  Thursday, I didn't run but I did lose 10 pounds (not all in one day...I hit the 10 lb mark).  Since I was completely wiped, we didn't do anything Thursday night.  But Friday I worked on my "speed" work.  D went running outside because the humidity was so low, but I went to the gym. My HR stayed below 180 for a long time, I think 2.1 miles.  I actually turned the treadmill higher, and I got to 38:37 for the 3 miles.

Saturday's 3 miles, well...hahahaha. I went running outside.  It was actually great out...72 degrees and 40% humidity.  I ran my hilly route.  I really didn't like that my first mile was over 15 minutes long.  My legs felt fine, it was more that I wasn't trying, even though I was purposely going on hills.  I got the 2nd mile at 14:4X and I was still not happy.  I was still on hills.  The third mile I tried to push it a little harder.  It was a slight "ramp" most of the way, but not bad.  I checked my HR at 2.9 miles.  It was 183 and I still had to go up a hill.  I did push it, but I also hit 14:2X.  So that run was 44:19.  Not happy with the time, but happy with negative splits the entire time.

Sunday's 3 miles was outside and hard.  73 degrees and 78% humidity. I didn't want to do it. My face under my eye from my nose to my ear was aching, not sure of allergies or hangover, but it hurt.  I didn't want to do hills, I didn't want to run on a treadmill.  I just didn't want to.  I decided to run Saturday's route backwards.  The first mile although over 15 minutes was nice because it was mostly a downhill ramp.  My legs were tired and when I tried to run faster, they laughed at me.  It was just going to be an "EEK this shit out run."  Then all the hills were back (little out and backs off a main road).  That was mostly a pain in the ass.  I have no idea how my times were, because I was more wondering how I was going to run a half-marathon in September in this wet/slimy shit.  I got 2 miles done and wondered where else to run, because I was done with hills and not going to run the last mile on the same route I had done the day before (a big hill).  I made something up and ended up at the bottom of my street.  It was the gut run.  I didn't want to do it, my headache worsened as I went on, and a few times I wanted to go home.  But I gutted it out.  I came home and drank a ton of water, and then passed out for 2 hours. 

Then I got up and went and drank beer.