August 02, 2015

Double digits on the 'mill

Well, I did not end up doing my long run outside today like I'd hoped.

It's kind of strange, actually. Lately, I've had really bad anxiety about running outside. Ever since I was attacked by those two swallows, my stomach feels like it's in knots throughout my whole run. Even if the birds are past their defensive-attack stage, I'm constantly on edge.

My friend Hilary shared this video of a girl on a bike ride who gets dive-bombed by a bird (several times), and while the video is funny to watch, it's EXACTLY what I've been dealing with this year with the birds! (video source) I'm sure people are cracking up inside their homes when they see me freaking out during a run like this, haha.


I love when she screams, "Is it gone? Is it gone? IT'S NOT GONE!" That's pretty much exactly how I sound when birds do that to me, except I don't have a helmet on, and I am flailing my arms above my head while I run, haha. (The long version of this video shows that she drew fake eyes on her helmet to hopefully keep the birds away, which is why she's yelling, "The eyes don't work!").

Anyway, I watched this in bed this morning when I woke up, and I started feeling anxious about my run again. It seems like all of my routes have angry birds on them (except in the Metroparks or State Park, where I'm assuming the birds are used to having people around). So, the birds, plus the fact that it was really hot out today, made me decide that the treadmill was more appealing... even for 10 miles.

I increased my run portion once again--going from 4:00-run/0:30-walk to 5:00-run/0:30 walk. And since I felt so good during my run on Thursday, with the pace of 6.0 mph for my run, I figured I'd give that a try for my long run as well. If it felt too hard, I could always drop the pace a little.

At first, it actually did feel a little harder than I expected; but I decided to keep going, and hopefully I'd feel good enough to get through the whole thing at that pace. The miles seemed much longer today than they did last weekend, but somehow, I managed to finish. I stuck with the 6.0 mph for running and 4.0 mph for the walk breaks the entire run--that's a big improvement! I felt so happy when I was done.



I was messing around with my heart rate monitor strap toward the end of my run (I felt like it was chafing me) and I think that's what caused the big increase in heart rate during mile eight. The heart rate graph looked fine until that particular spot, when it increased a lot.

Anyway, I was very happy with how today's long run went!


This afternoon, the kids asked if we could go to the parade downtown. The Monroe County Fair opened today, and there was a parade to celebrate. I'd never been to it, but the kids love parades (they hoped to get free candy), so we drove down there just before the parade started. I was thinking we'd have to stand in the sun, which I don't like to do, but one side of the street was totally shaded, thanks to the buildings, so we sat on a curb to watch.


I got teary eyed and choked up when I saw this go by:


They were World War II veterans, from the ages of 88 to 103 years old. I don't know why it made me emotional to see, but it was really fun to see them. I liked the float just behind it, too, where there were several people dressed up from the WWII era.

I liked seeing the Animal Control Shelter float, too, because they had pictures of lots of adoptable dogs. That's where we adopted Joey from, actually.


The parade went on much longer than I thought--about an hour--but the kids and I really enjoyed it. They got some candy, which thrilled them. It's such a small town that there wasn't anything too crazy to see, but it was a fun afternoon with the kids!


Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a photo you'd like to send in, here is the info for that. If I don't get many submissions, I may just hold off for a week or two. We'll see what happens!

3 comments:

  1. Ohhh....I love parades!! :)

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  2. Great job on the treadmill! I live in a small town that looks similar to this. Love the pics. What town is this parade in?
    I just signed up for Route 66 Half and 5K in Tulsa in November. I'll be running with my Galloway group.

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