Saturday LR

Saturday we ran 12 miles. It was only the 2nd time since running the Austin Marathon in February that I've run any distance farther than 10 miles, so I was a little nervous. The run began at Memorial and was an out and back to the George R. Brown Convention Center (aka the GRB) with a few side streets worked in at the end.

Of course, the weather was warm and by the time I was finished with the first mile, I could really notice the humidity. Hard not to notice it when you're drenched with sweat! It was a typical nasty, balmy summer morning. I normally love this route, because there are some nice hills and you get an excellent view of the Houston skyline at sunrise. Plus, there's just something I like about running through the streets of downtown...I'm not sure why, but I love it. However, I just wasn't feeling "it" at first...whatever "it" is. The entire way to downtown, I felt heavy. I could feel all the crap that I had eaten all week long in the pit of my stomach just sitting there like a brick. I remember running the hills of Allen Parkway and wondering to myself if I was up to 12 miles today. I remember wishing that I was faster, so I could be finished faster. And, of course, I wondered what the HELL I was thinking...why in the HELL do I want to train for ANOTHER FREAKINGMARATHON!?!?!? And yes, I was yelling HELL and ANOTHER FREAKING MARATHON to myself in my head, in case you're wondering. ;-) Just one of those mental mind games we distance runners tend to play when we're not feeling "it".

As we entered downtown, I began to feel a little better. Maybe it was the extra little breaks when we approached traffic at an intersection, but I actually began to feel like it wasn't going to be so tough afterall. As we began to get closer to the GRB, we were greeted by the faster runners who were already on the way back. Finally, we made it to the GRB- the start and finish of the Houston Marathon! It's kind of a unwritten rule that you have to touch the wall of the GRB before turning around...maybe it's more of a tradition. We each took our turn tapping the wall and headed back in the direction we came from. Around mile 7, we reached the Sabine Bridge again. It's a great area that has just been renovated. There are stairs that lead down to the Bayou and hike/bike trails. At night, this area is lit up with blue lights and looks amazing. This was also where Coach Tom set up a water stop. Since we were the last runners in the pack, we refilled our water bottles and poured the remaining water on our heads to cool off.

We made our way down some side streets back to Crestwood. Seeing Crestwood was a welcome sight, because you're practically back at the park at this point! Crestwood took us back to Memorial Dr. and to our final destination. I was tired, but not dying, which was good. We're running 15 miles next week, so I might have been a little worried if I had been completely exhausted at this point. We took advantage of the wonderful frozen wash cloths once more and then called it a day.

Afterwards, I had just enough time to go home, hang out with the hubby and kiddo for a few minutes before showering and going to new student orientation at the university. My friend Roberta (who is also going to be starting school there this fall) and I decided to meet for coffee beforehand and catch up. Orientation went well! I learned where to park, buy books, etc. and even got my student ID....hmmm, does that mean I'm now eligible for student discounts at the movies? This could be good!

Running Stats
Conditions - 80 w/high humidity
Total Run Time - 2:40
Total Distance - 12 miles
Pace - 13:15-ish (yes, remarkably slow!)

No WW stats this week...I skipped it for orientation.

Run long and Livestrong!