Goal Weight: 195 lbs.
Today’s Weight: 195 lbs. (after I ran — I lost about five pounds of water weight!)
People ask me why I drag my butt out of bed so early on Saturdays. Well, here’s reason one. Seeing the run rise over the Ross Barnett Reservoir is worth the loss of sleep. Reason two is pretty clear, too: It’s much cooler at 5:30 a.m. than it is at 8 a.m. I hate running when it is hot because I sweat a river. Today was no exception.
This morning was cool and humid. The recent rains have moistened the ground and thus the air, making it like running with a wet blanket wrapped around you. When it gets warmer, I normally carry a bottle of water. Five miles into the run, I had drained it.
The first mile of my run is through my neighborhood and the one next to ours. I then cut through the woods and pick up the Natchez Trace and run along it for about 3/4 of a mile until I pick up the Ridgeland Multipurpose Trail. There were a lot of runners and bikers out today. I love running when there’s a crown — it makes a solitary sport into a social one. Three people recognized me and asked about Banjo (my dog who has had quite a battle with diabetes lately. I try not to allow him to know how popular he really is.) The trail is fairly hilly and since I was running low on water, I decided to stretch the run to 10+ miles and head to the old Craft Center in Ridgeland. They have a water fountain there and I knew that I could refill my bottle. When I run long runs, I know where I can refill my bottle. There’s the water fountain at the old Craft Center. There’s a spigot at the front of a neighborhood where I can refill my bottle. I plan this pretty carefully — and if I don’t think I can find water, I’ll drop a bottle in the grass just in case. Bottom line — during a Mississippi summer, I don’t mess around with not having enough water.
And yes, I drink just water, not sports drinks. I can’t handle sugar very well anymore and high fructose corn syrup makes me sick. Seriously. I weaned myself off of it six months ago and now it makes me dizzy when I accidentally eat or drink some of it. I ate a banana before and after my run to make sure I had plenty of potassium. If I do chose a sports drink, I cut it with about 75% water.
About mile seven I felt the sweat run down my legs. That’s never a good thing — that means that my shoes soon will filling with water. And that’s exactly what happened. I began to squish. I stopped and tied my shoes tighter and was thankful I was wearing Wright Socks. Wright Socks are double-lined socks that do a great job of protecting your feet from moisture. A runner’s enemy is a blister. Thanks to spending $ on good socks, I’ve NEVER had one in all the years I’ve run. That’s a blessing.
From Old Canton Road to the old Craft Center on the trail is a one-mile hill. It’s a slow grade and drives me nuts. But today, it didn’t bother me too much. A check of my watch showed my heart was beating at 159 beats a minute (I was over four miles at that point) so kept charging up and onward. Hills are more mental than physical anyway.
Like I said before, mile seven brought squishy shoes. The final three and half miles felt like I was running with concrete blocks on my feet. There’s one stretch of sunny trail (I pulled my hat down over my face) and charged up another serious hill (the one going up the bridge that crosses Rice Road.) I then made it back to the Trace and headed toward the house. I made 10 miles in the other neighborhood and made the last .60 miles up one last big hill in my neighborhood.
Someone asked me if I wear sunscreen when I run. Normally, no, I don’t. Ninety percent of the time I run before the sun even rises. (would I need to wear moonscreen then?) And even if the sun does rise, I’m running before the rays are the most intense. Ever get sunscreen in your eyes? That’s why I don’t wear it during a run.
When I was done, I took a few minutes to just sit on my front steps and just sweat. Today’s tally: 10.6 miles. 1,683 calories burned. 1 hour 50 minutes. Two bottles of water. Soaked shoes. And one glorious sunrise.
