Yesterday while the Great Sweet Baboo was running the Ghost Town 38.5 I finally got up off my butt and did some running of my own. I strapped on my hydration vest and my new ear warming headband with built-in headphones, and then I headed out on what wound up being about a 16 mile run south out of Hillsboro. I ran slowly, contemplatively, until I got to my turnaround point, and then I turned around and came back. It was gorgeous out. I forgot how much I missed this. It's been 2 weeks since my last long run and I had a great time.
I've figured out that if I run a circuitous loop, I'll cut it short. If I try to run more than one loop, I'll find an excuse to stop after the first one.
But, if I do a straight out and back, the half-way point happens while I'm still feeling good, and I have no choice but to find my way back. So, to short-circuit my own natural laziness I strap on 60 ounces of water, a little over half a dozen goos, a couple power bars just to be safe, my cell phone, inhaler, and my tunes. Then, I have me a workout. Next Sunday, since I did a marathon not long ago, I'll bump it up to 20 miles.
Once a week, I'll do a several-mile "speedwalk" with the Baboo. Another day I'll do 6-8 mile run in my neighborhood, and on another day, 5-6 mile run. 2 evenings of spin. No time for swimming during this month. Lots of hills, hills, hills.
My goal: to be able to run 31 miles "before dark" after starting at 7 am in Northern Alabama on Presidents' Day weekend.
3 weeks, 5 days to the Black Warrior 50K.
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