Remember back in elementary school when all the music classes had to put on choir concerts? There's one song from one such concert - it must have been fourth or fifth grade - that pops back into my head with perfect clarity every weekend. Hence the post title.
Scarred for life, guys.
My Saturday was definitely the best day all week long (as the song goes) this week. It started with a very cool and breezy 8-miler with Tracey. I accidentally paused my Nike+ at mile four so I can't see my splits, but we completed the run in just under an hour-thirty, so I know we kept a nice pace for an LSD, and I know we picked it up at the end.
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| Oh fall, I love you. |
Now don't get me wrong, eight miles isn't easy and it's not painless, but it just seems so much easier and more doable since I've been lengthening my long runs. It's so much easier to wrap my head around eight; I didn't even end up needing to fuel.
(Later in the day I caught myself saying "only eight miles" and had to make a conscious effort to stop. I don't want to be that runner. Eight miles is nothing to sneeze at; runners who talk like this deserve all the rolled eyes they get.)
We finished before sunrise. I guess that's how you know winter is looming.
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| Post-run breakfast: a Van's whole grain GF waffle with syrup and an over-easy egg. |
After the run, I met Matt after his first SUP race of the day. He had two: one 4.5-miler and another just under three miles. The second race was put on by the city for their annual fall festival, River Fest. There was a big group of Matt's friends racing, so I had company in their SO's while we waited for them downriver. Because of the festival, the park was packed with food, games, and music to entertain us while we waited for awards to be announced.
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| Matt at the start of the downriver race. |
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| Jared, Justin, Meg, and Matt after the awards. Justin and Meg placed first in their divisions; Matt placed second! |
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| Enjoying the perfect weather! |
We finished the day with food truck barbecue and a light nap. All our afternoon activity in the sun really wiped me out.
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| Photo courtesy of Meg...I had pulled pork and coleslaw. Yum! |
I'm looking forward to a very lazy day tomorrow!
Did you run long or race this weekend?
Does your city host a fall festival of any kind?
What's your favorite season?
ABK
Summer is hands down my favourite season but autumn is a close contender :)
ReplyDeleteI hate it when people say I 'I only ran X amount of miles' - it's so patronising! But I occasionally catch myself saying it and really kick myself - running is all about competing with yourself, not others.
www.nessruns.com
I think summer in Europe is the best thing ever.
DeleteI agree, "I only ran..." is patronizing. I remember not being able to run a full mile; I never want to put people down for running a certain amount!
Isn't it funny how during marathon training "only" running for about an hour and a half is like NOTHING?? Haha! I ran 11 yesterday just for the hell of it. LSD for sure. I actually missed a turn- that's why it was 11 instead of 10. Seriously, who runs 11 miles on purpose? It's either 10 or 12. I hope you enjoy a relaxing day today!
ReplyDeletelol 11 is a totally random mileage...but I bet it felt good!
DeleteAnd yes I literally got myself out of bed by thinking, "I'll be done in 90 minutes. I can do that."
For some reason I was convinced that this weekend was your 20 miler - it must be next weekend! Looks like you had a great day! :)
ReplyDeleteNov. 1. OMG.
DeleteI didn't race...but put on my first race as race director....amazing morning! I'm so excited as your marathon nears!
ReplyDeleteYou did such a great job!!!
DeleteI cannot wait to hear about your marathon :) And I used to be that runner - I'd come home and say we "only" did 5 miles :) For most people, that is a huge accomplishment :)
ReplyDelete5 miles is still a huge accomplishment. Some days I can hardly do 2, and I wonder how I ever do my long runs!
DeleteYou are so right, I always have to remind myself that "only 10/8/5 miles" is still an awesome accomplishment. Over the weekend I felt bad that I had to cut my run short and "only" run 5 miles, but I should be happy that I CAN run five miles!
ReplyDeleteWay to go Matt and friends! That river looks really pretty!
It's funny because 4 or 5 miles seems SO LONG some days because it takes me so long to warm up, but then when I'm talking about long runs, "only" becomes part of my vocab! I need to stop that!
DeleteI didn't run long but I did run a 5k that left my legs sore...lol. I also watched Matt run his 15th marathon, which was pretty cool. I do find myself saying 'I only ran...' but I haven't ran long since my marathon!
ReplyDeleteOoh, congrats to Matt on his marathon!!! You are both so impressive!
DeleteSometimes it's nice to take time off from long runs :)
I find myself saying only 8 miles or even only 13 which is insane to me! I literally have to take a step back and tell myself how crazy I sound. I remember when I could barely run a mile 3 years ago!
ReplyDeleteI even feel that way ("only") about 15...which is NUTS but it's because so many of my friends are training for fulls right now that they're running like 18. In a way it makes the distance seem more doable!
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