Update- Still on the dreadmill

They caught the guy Monday night- he was formally charged yesterday. He didn't shoot her, he hit her with his car- hard enough to leave a dent in his Jeep! Then, he got out and kicked her in the head several times, left and came back with a knife. Then, he raped her, stabbed her and cut her throat. This is probably just about the most brutal crime that I can remember in this area.

I realize that it happened in broad daylight, but at 5am when I've been running, it's pitch dark outside. So, I've decided to stay on the treadmill until daylight savings time is over- except for weekends. I never really liked running in the dark by myself anyway.

Last night- my 4 mile treadmill run was my first run in a week. I managed a 9:30 pace. I was pretty happy with that. I think the treadmill running will be good for me for a while- I tend to push harder on the treadmill - probably because I want to get it over with.

Stranded on the Dreadmill

As you may or may not have heard...

A local school teacher was raped and shot in my 'hood. She had gone out for her walk at 9am (broad daylight!!). They found her body at 5pm in a shallow grave.
She was 38 years old, with a husband and 2 kids. Can you imagine?

OK, so the actual location where they found her was a couple of miles from where my long run route passes, but waaay too close for comfort. This is small town, people! This is country, out in the middle of BFE. It is supposed to be safe here!

So, everybody who knows me and knows that I run alone regularly has made it a point to tell me to "be careful", or "STAY ON THE TREADMILL!" Now, normally, I ignore these comments, but this one is scary. I do carry pepper spray, but if somebody pulls up next to you and points a gun at you, what are ya gonna do? Run? Reach for pepper spray? I think not!

I miss the days when I had a running partner. I don't know anybody close enough where I live now who runs.
So, until either (a) I find a running partner, or (b) they catch whoever did this, it looks like I'm stranded on the dreadmill. Ugh!

Band on the Run 5K

After 5 days of not running a step, it's 5K race morning.

I got up and felt strong. The girls came with me to the race, since we were getting new phones after the race. It. Was. So. Hot.

The girls' teacher and his wife were there. The nerve! Aren't teachers supposed to crawl into a hole and never be seen outside of school? Anyhoo, I was right on pace with the teacher for the entire race. He wound up finishing a few seconds ahead of me.

This race was not pleasant. I'm carrying around about 10 extra pounds that I can't seem to find the give-a-damn to lose. Plus, it was HOT!

And, I really didn't want to let the teacher beat me! But, I walked to drink my water and he didn't, and I never caught him again.

Ah, well, I finished it in 26:50, 1st in my age group (out of 1). Then, I got my very first post-race massage. Wow! Why, oh why, have I always passed these up before?

Oh, the teachers' wife won overall female finisher. She ran the thing in 20:13. Impressive.

Just an uneventful race, and a chance to catch up with some other runners from the area.

Sunday Long Run

After being a slug last weekend and not getting in a long run, I was determined to get in my long run this weekend. I was planning a 13 mile run.

Saturday, no run. I slept in, and decided to piddle around the house instead of running. It was Alex's birthday, so I wanted to clean the house so it would be presentable for her party. (good excuse, huh?)

Sunday morning, I got up just before 7am and started getting ready to go out and run. I couldn't find a good water bottle that would hold enough, so I went down to the gas station to buy one of the 24 oz bottles. Gas station was closed. So, I came home, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and drove out and put it out about 6 miles. Back home, and now trying to talk myself out of this run. I just didn't feel up to it, and all of the fucking around with the water just made it worse.

I knew that Sunday is the day that I eat all day long, especially during football season. Add that to the leftover Dairy Queen cake that was still in the freezer calling my name, and I absolutely had to get out there. Finally got out the door at about 8am.

The weather was gorgeous. I took one power gel with me and planned to take it around 6 or 7 miles to give me the extra boost to finish. At about mile 2, I started feeling weak and dizzy. I actually toyed with the idea of going back home. So, I ate the gel then and kept going. Another mile in, I started feeling pretty good. This lasted until about mile 10 when I started getting tired. I should have brought 2 gels, since I didn't eat breakfast.

The run actually turned out to be 13.4 miles. My average pace was 11 min/mile, on the nose. Taking into account that I walked most of the 3rd mile and kept my heart rate pretty low throughout the entire run, I was happy with that.

When I got home, we had to start chopping veggies for the cabbage soup we were making, so I didn't have time for the long, leisurely bath that I really wanted. Took a quick shower and got to work on the soup. Maybe I'll get that bath in tonight...