Weekend runs

So with two months to go before the half marathon, I am trying to build up more stamina with a weekly long run. Generally, to minimize the risk of missing it due to procrastination, I aim to do the long run on Saturday, rather than Sunday. This weekend, Ashling's track team was doing timed trials on Saturday, so I thought I could use that time for my long run. Rain was predicted for Saturday, but you can never be sure that's right. But when we woke up Saturday, it was pouring. Wet and chilly! Ashling's track team was meeting at American River College at 9, so off we went. When we got there, Ashling's coach, Sherri, had decided against the timed trial, so as to avoid having the girls sitting around in the cold rain in between being timed, and opted instead to do a short practice. I decided to do a short run around the track when the rain seemed to ease off. Well, that was a temporary easing off! I think I had done two laps when it really started to pour. So I managed to do about two miles in the pouring rain. It was fairly lonely out there at the ARC track, also. Just Ashling's track team, the Jesuit High School boys track team (apparently, they are not bothered by the rain), and a couple of very tough solo runners were out. I was glad to get back into the warm car, I tell you.

That meant that my long run needed to happen on Sunday. As it worked out, Sunday was an incredibly nice day. Last day in February, temperature in the 60s, and beautiful sunny skies. We took Ashling back to ARC to practice long jump and triple jump. That triple jump thing is wacky! Hopping and jumping? I wonder who thought that up and what they were smoking at the time? I also read that one of the women on the Irish Women's Olympic Bobsleigh team (yes we have one) is also a triple jumper. You must need the same special muscles (that I don't have) for both events. Anyhow, I had Gordon drop me off at a place called Bannister Park on the way home so I could start my long run. My plan was to do 75 minutes, so for those who know the Sacramento area, I planned to run through Bannister Park, cross the river on the footbridge, run up the River to the Sac State Aquatic Center, and then turn around and come back to the Fair Oaks bridge, cross there and then run home. For those who don't know the Sacramento area, I mapped my route using Runkeeper, and you can see it here. I've just started to use this runkeeper thing on my iPhone, and I won't say I've mastered it yet. I occasionally accidentally pause it (usually when I am trying to change a song or something) and I end up with a break in the run. But you get the idea.

This is really a very nice route. In fact, any route on the American River Parkway is just fabulous. And people who live here really take advantage of it. So on a beautiful day like today, the parkway is full of other runners, walkers, bicyclists, people walking dogs etc. etc. It means you have to pay attention so as not to collide with a bicyclist, but it it nice to see so many people out there. And of course, you're running right by the river, watching people fish, kayak etc. etc. It's also a good surface to run on - the bike path is in great shape, no potholes or anything - but most of the time you can run on the shoulder, which is a lot easier on the knees and ankles. Also, it's nice and flat! The only problem today is that there is some construction going on at the Aquatic Center end of the parkway, and the parkway is basically closed between the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and the Aquatic Center. That's not a huge distance or anything, but in order to make sure I got enough running in, I ran around the fish hatchery parking lot a couple of time. That was probably the low spot of the run, from a scenery perspective.

Today's run was the longest that I have done so far, and takes me beyond the halfway point for a half marathon. A quarter marathon maybe. But I must say, it was hard! When I crossed the Fair Oaks bridge, probably at the 6.5 mile point, I was really feeling it. There's a slight hill from the bridge going toward the village, and I thought that I would die, or at least throw up, at that point. But I managed to not do either, so that was good. I am not sure how it is going to feel to double that distance. I foresee a substantial period of time walking during the midpoint of the half marathon!

Next week I am aiming for a longish run on Thursday night with the Folsom Trail Runners, as Aidan is coming to spend the weekend starting Friday night. Maybe I'll do a long walk with Aidan instead of a long run.