Running: 18 May 2011 - Pooped

Wild hares or wild hairs?  Which poses more of a threat?  I guess it depends.  A wild hare cannot make you jump on your bike and crank out a 15 mile ride under a beautiful full moon.  That same hare also cannot make you turn around the next morning and run 10K under the very same celestial orb.  But a wild HAIR can!  And it did! Or was it the full moon? I dunno.  Either way, moon, hare, or hair...I'm pooped today. 

What is it that draws me to the moon?  It seems like eons since I've enjoyed her presence in the sky.  I absolutely love running with her.  Sometimes we travel parallel to each other, but it is usually a game of chase and run.   I think one of the things I like most about the moon is that no matter how long you look at it, you never see quite enough of it.  And we never see its dark side.  I'm sure it has a dark side, but if I never see it, I'm OK with that.  We had an awesome blood moon full lunar eclipse this past winter.  It was breathtaking.  Ok, at least it was to me.  The moon just makes me smile.

So, last night (under the watchful eye of my moon), I hopped on my bike and set out.  It was about 8:30pm.  I headed north from the house and slid over to 4th Ave and Mills and began outlining the city of Winterset.  I stayed to the outermost streets as much as possible with a couple jogs here and there.  The pace was very good and my new bike slipped through the gears with no resistance or effort.  My legs felt good and the seat was comfortable - for a while. 

I whipped through the west side of town and made my way east down Summit.  I crossed John Wayne Drive and stayed eastbound toward the cemetery.  I paused for just a moment to gaze at the moon.  After a long healthy drink of her nightly beauty and majesty, I continued on.  I zig-zagged around the cemetery and ultimately made my way into the city park and circled the top loop road.  There was a large campfire blazing proudly which smelled of seasoned hickory and oak by a dome tent in the campground.  I felt a little jealous I was not the one camping...I was biking.

Leaving the park, I continued on my normal running route over and up to 10th Street and down to Highway 92.  I hung a left and headed back toward the 4-way stop.  My next turn put me back on 4th Avenue and I headed for home.  Once there, I checked my route and pace time.  The route was 6.69 miles and I covered the distance in about 37 minutes.  My legs were a little jello-y and my butt was mildly upset at my bike seat.

Ok, that's the first part of this wild, lunarian "hair"-brained adventure.   I can't really explain why the next part happened any better, but here's what I did.  I did another 8.68 miles on my bike.  My route zig-zagged from my house to a house with a Holstein calf yard ornament in it, back out and down Jefferson, down Summit, in on 1st Avenue and then...north and south from 1st Avenue all the way up to 8th Avenue like some mad textile weaver, and finally back down Summit taking a left on 1st Avenue and back home.  This was part of the run and chase the moon stuff I wrote about earlier.  Total miles ridden: 15.37.  Total number of butts worn out...1.

So that brings me to this morning.  After cursing my alarm clock during its 3 attempts to get me out of bed, I got up, checked the temperature (46 degrees - OK for running), and suited up.  I almost thought about blowing off running today, but knew if I did, I'd catch hell from COACH for wimping out.  Once outside, I searched for my running mate - my moon.  There she was off to the west eager to set and call it a night.  Not wanting to let her down, off I went.  I ran the same route I had biked the night before.  NOT the 8.68 miler - the 6.69...I "needed" a 10k.

My blood sugar was 72 so I was a little skittish, but figured if I needed to cut the run short I could.  The moon and I ran and chased each other, as we are oft to do, and I bid her pleasant dreams when she finally decided to dip below the horizon.  Max heart rate approached 180, but my pace was good.  I noticed the fire by the dome tent in the campground had expired sometime during the night, and I cruised through town at about an 8:40 pace.  It was a nice run.

Pooped.  Body is pooped and my legs are pooped.  And after typing all this...my fingers are pooped.  We'll see what tonight brings...another bike ride?  Maybe.

myk