you get out of it what you put into it

Terrible.  Horrible.  Pathetic.

Hills.

My body is paying back for taking nearly 2 weeks off.  This run wasn't much better than Tuesday's, but at least I got it done.  I'll get my mojo back eventually.  My calves and hammies were t-i-g-h-t, which is not a common problem for me.  I need to stretch more.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!  I'm going to Washington DC tomorrow, so yet another Saturday without a long run.  To be honest, I'm totally okay with it!

Saturday I didn't get my long run in.  While my friends were waking to their alarm clocks and the promise of a beautiful morning for our planned 13-miler, I was headed to Washington DC, to do something far more important.  I was taking part in my hometown "Honor Flight," where we take WWII veterans that have never had the opportunity up to see their memorial.  It was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life and something I will never forget.  Out of literally thousands of volunteers, I was fortunate enough to be chosen, one of thirty from Huntsville, to escort a veteran for the day; September 11, 2010.

My alarm clock went off at 2:30AM.  I had to be at the airport to greet my veteran by 4AM.  I had very little sleep, but actually woke up early from the anticipation and the excitement.  Lots of things were happening at the airport; a band, supporters, a live vocalists singing patriotic songs, flags everywhere, one veteran having a seizure (sad, but true... he didn't get to make the trip), etc.  At 5:30AM I even got a nice and very deliberate pinch on my bottom by one older gentleman.  To say I was caught off guard would be an understatement! 

The day was fantastic.  We started off flying from Huntsville to Washington.  One of the men I sat by on the plane had never even flown!  They were all so excited.  Every time we had a successful take-off and landing, the plane would erupt into cheers and applause.  It was fun to see them so excited about the day.

We made many stops throughout the day; the most important being a visit to the WWII Memorial.  We also visited Arlington National Cemetery, the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and Iwo Jima.  This was my first time to see Iwo Jima, and I have to say that I was quite impressed!  I was so impressed with everything.  No detail was left out.  At every stop we made, they had people from all branches of service there to salute the veterans and than them for their service.  They had a band at both airports playing music from the era.  In Washington DC they even had dancers from the era.  It was just so fun!

At the airport in Huntsville before we left.

Mr. Hester and I with Lincoln in the background.

Changing of the guard and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington.

 Korean War Memorial.

Iwo Jima.

 Mr. Hester and I at the WWII Memorial.

Dancers at the airport.  (Please notice the guys hair... only reason I took a pic!)

 Being welcomed home.  I spotted my mom, but Mr. Hester had no idea she was taking out picture.  He was just shaking hands and enjoying the moment.

The day ended with us arriving back home to Huntsville with a welcoming crowd of literally thousands.  It brought tears to my eyes to walk through the throng of cheering people; people that didn't know me or my veteran or anyone there for that matter.  They were just there to support such a wonderful cause.  You've never seen so many American flags waving or patriotic colors being worn.  I am proud to come from a town that supports our military and our veterans so much.  To end the night on a good note, my veteran gave me a kiss... ON THE LIPS!  HA!  I wasn't expecting that one either.  We had a good time together, and you know what, it made my day!  He was a sweetie and I enjoyed getting to know him.

8X800m repeats with 1.5 minute rest in between.  Kill me.

1 mile warm up.  I skipped the cool down; didn't even feel like walking back to my car.

Don't remember my splits.  My goal range was 4:06-4:16.  I hit that on 5 of the 8.  Reps 6 and 7 were a little slower.  I always try to make my last one the fastest and succeeded this time;  3:56 - I wish they were all that fast!

Good start to the week.  I was dragging, but am glad to have the miles in now.  Pace was slow, but I'm okay with that.  Ran with my buddy, Eric.  I know he was bored going so slow with me.  It was nice to chat with someone the whole time though.

This should hopefully be a good week for me, mileage wise.  If I stick to the plan, that is...

We were planning to run 6ish miles of the Monte Sano 15k course tonight. We parked in the state park and headed out. One of the girls that I run with left her kids on the playground with her hubby watching them. Well, the park ranger came and told him that he was locking the parking lot gate in 30 minutes and if we weren't back, too bad. So, we obviously came nowhere close to finishing our run. Fritz came and found us in his car and we all headed back to the parking lot, taking a shorter route. When we got there, the ranger was sitting in his truck with the lights flashing waiting on us. SERIOUSLY?!?! What a *dirty word*.

In all honesty, I was dragging anyways. So, I was okay with calling it quits.

My feet have been completely numb on my last several runs; so irritating.

Numb feet again.  Easy run.  Totally unmotivated these days.  I need to go back to not having a schedule.  I enjoyed running a lot more then.

A local ultrarunning legend, Kathy Youngren, is running the ultimate ultra right now, The Spartathlon.  Go Kathy!

As much as I've been dreading cooler temps and the end of summer, this run was fantastic!  I felt great and really should've gone out for more.  The promise of wings and beer from BWW kept my mileage low.  Temps were around 65* or so.  I started with a jacket, but quickly tied it around my waist and just ran in my tank.  Pace was slow, as I was with my 5k group.  I felt great; like I could've kept going for 20 more miles.  Maybe next time I'll be more dedicated to running and not let the temptation of yummy wings stop me.

As great as the run was, I miss warm weather...

(also - i kept my shoes looser, and my feet didn't go numb until about mile 2 tonight rather than right from the start.  that is an improvement and i'm quite happy!)

6x800 with a 3 minute rest between sets.  1 mile wu.  1 mile cd.

A very good run for me.  The lower temps really are glorious for running.  It was about 70* or so.  I'm still missing that summer sunshine though.

I don't have all my splits.  My goal pace was 4:16-4:28 on every one.  I beat that time on all but the last one, which was 4:28.  I try to run my last one the fastest normally, but I didn't have it in me tonight.  I'm disappointed, but it'll be okay.  All of the others were in the 4:05-4:10 range.  YAY for beating my goal!  This was a tough neighborhood "course" for 800's.  We ran out and back.  The out 800 was nice; slightly downhill.  That means the back 800 was slightly uphill.  We could all tell a huge difference in the directions.

Had a man offer to pull his hose out and set it up in his yard for us.  How nice of him!

Looser shoes again.  Only my right foot went numb tonight around mile 3.  By the end, my entire left leg up to my hip was literally numb.  What is up with that?!?!

Although my sun-worshiping self knows I shouldn't say this, I'm thankful for these cooler temps.  ONLY in regard to running though!