Two-a-days, four-a-weeks, blonde moments, and monsoon season continues

Four-a-weeks: My marathon plan had me running 3 days a week. My 5k plan has me running four times a week. Go figure. Not being used to running two days in a row, I totally forgot about running last night and had to put in a quick two miles this morning. It was a beautiful morning to run...except for one little thing. Note to self: the words "just two miles" should never be followed by "SP I won't worry about wearing a good sports bra". I was uncomfortable from the first steps but didn't have time to go back and change.

Two-a-days: I picked J up from school Wednesday, but I had a little extra time, so I walked the mile to his school. I took his scooter so he could keep up with me while I ran back. After I carried it the whole way there, the little turkey barely rode it. We got about 2 blocks from our house, and he wanted to race. We raced scooter vs run for a while, then he decided to run, sticking me with the scooter. He kept calling time out when he got tired, so as we closed in on the house, I told him, "I'm not stopping again for anything!". As the words left my mouth, his scooter fell into two pieces. And I stopped. Beat again.

Later that evening, after sitting through two hours of Senior Awards Night, I hit the gym for my first speedwork workout in this month's 5k plan. The goal was 1 mi w/u, 3x800 @4:10 with 400 jogs, 1 mi c/d. Nailed it! I love those half mile intervals...the pain doesn't last so long. :) My actual pace--3:50, 3:44, 3:47. I had to pull back a little on that last one bc I was about to throw up. I have to say, it felt good to push like that and come through.

Speaking of speed...(blonde moment) , I keep reading about Run Less Run Faster. If you know me, you know this sounded great to me. Run less AND get faster?? SCORE! I ordered that book in a heartbeat. And then I read another blog about it and realized it was more a case of "you don't have to run as much, but you have to actually try run faster while you do it. No magic bullet, no magic book. Bummer.

Monsoon season continues: It has seemed like rain, rain, and more rain around here. That's made it darn near impossible to get my mountain bike out on the trails. And we've already established that I need lots of practice. Imagine my delight when a friend saw my musings about next Sunday's second race (a 3-hr endurance race that will doubtless kick my butt and embaress me...I can't wait :D) and offered to preride the course with me.

And then imagine my dismay when the weather report showed rain all week. Refusing to accept that grim forecast, I harnessed my super powers of positive thinking...and my first graders. I swear, these kids have some serious weather mojo on thir sides. Every time we've concentrated together and hoped for good weather, it's come through. All week long, I watched our area defy the weatherman and stay dry. This morning, we hoped together for good weekend weather one more time for good measure. Inexplicably, three of them started chanting for rain. What???

It was like that scene in Bedtime Stories. Adam Sandler has learned that the stories he tells with his niece and nephew come true. He has just successfully led them
Through imagining his workplace triumph when they add, "And then you were incineritated". And yes, it started raining on our way over here to camp. Chances are good that the trails will be closed tomorrow morning, that my "training" for the bike race will consist of nothing more than wishing I could ride, and that three of my first graders will spend their final two weeks in detention. :)