On Wednesday I hit a new milestone in the marathon training schedule, my “short” mid-week runs have hit their maximum mileage…8 miles. Short, huh? The last time I checked, 8 miles was still a long, long way, especially when pushing a 50 lb jogging stroller.
Nevertheless, on Wednesday morning I put E in Bob and we set out on an 8 mile adventure. Did I mention that it was raining? I guess you can call it rain. It was the kind of rain that I think you can only get on the Gulf Coast. Nano-sized droplets of water that can only form when it’s 100% humidity which just float in the air and never seem to land. In the pictures it looks like fog – don’t be deceived.
All-in-all, it was a fantastic run. I didn’t take it too seriously. I stopped a couple of times to drink some water, take some pictures and enjoy the silence that comes with the post-rush hour morning
Most of my 8 mile route is on the streets in my neighborhood but part (2 miles) is on some hike and bike trails near our house. I love running on the trails. When I’m back there it’s easy to forget we live in the city. It’s quiet and relatively stress free. On nice days you pass all kinds of people. Bikers, rollerbladers, runners, walkers, people with dogs. On rainy days, like Wednesday, you have the trail to yourself. The only people I saw were two guys working on a powerline. It’s a little scary when you’re back in the woods alone…which is why I always carry pepper spray. Beware stray dogs and rapists!
Evie loves riding in Bob. I got her this spiffy rain cover which means that even in the rain we can still go out and run, which is good because it’s been raining…a lot. The cover also does a great job blocking the wind and cold. When she’s in the “bubble” she’s always warm, cozy and dry.
When it’s not very cold and when it’s not raining hard I open up the back rain flap so I can keep and eye on her.
And so she can keep an eye on me.
This is my favorite part of the trail. The bayou turns into a small canyon and the trail wraps along the side and into the woods. I love how quiet it is back here.
I get to repeat the rainy 8 miler today and tomorrow it’s my long run, 17 miles. That’ll put me at 42 miles for the week. There’s a part of me that can’t help being a little bit proud of myself. 42 miles just 9 months after having a baby. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.