6 Miles & A Splatter of Rain

To explain the title:

I was at a training conference in Chicago this past week, and was talking to another participant, Somer, during the lunch. She mentioned that she was training for a marathon. When I asked her how long her run was the next day, she chirped, "Six miles! Want to join me?"

Um.

Well, sure, why not? Even though I hadn't run six miles (or five, or four) in one fell swoop since my time in Track & Field at Edwardsville Junior High School (Go Wildcats!), I decided to give it a go.

We met at 5:30 to run along the lake. It actually was not as painful as I imagined it to be, mostly because I was propped up by my pride (didn't want to die in front of someone I just met), encouragement from the other 500 healthy people running/biking/swimming alongside us, and the fact that if I stopped, I would have to take a taxi home and I had only $3 stuffed into my sportsbra.

The next day wasn't too atrocious. My right knee was groaning, but that's the price of getting older. That part stinks.

So I'm taking my running shoes and clothes everywhere I travel. I've found it's a fantastic way to see a city up-close (trust me, I don't run so fast as to miss the sights) and gets the lead out after sitting in a room all day. Haven't noticed a fabulous weight loss or major toning yet, but it does make me feel happy. (When it's all over.)

So.. the splatter part. TS Fay was bearing down on Tampa Bay when I left for Chicago last week. In fact, I rearranged my flight to get out of Tampa before it was supposed to hit. So after worrying that I'd return to a roofless house, Jason called to assure me that the week had been completely sunny and clear. So much for Fay.

Next up: Tropical Storm Gustav. Stay tuned.