Dull 12

I really did not want to get up this morning and run 12 miles. I really did not want to do it.

I was running on a Sunday instead of Saturday because we went to the St. Louis drag races yesterday. Also, yesterday morning was cold with a howling wind blowing--I didn't want to deal with those conditions on my first tapering weekend.

So that left Sunday. I had to run 12, but I didn't have a route. I could have used the same route I did a couple weeks ago in between the 20 mile runs. But that route goes out to a church and this is Sunday morning. I didn't want to deal with the possibility of a lot of cards on the narrow roads on this route.

I also did not want to have to carry a bottle of water with me to stash on the route or go out and stash a bottle somewhere on Saturday night (like that's ever going to happen). That left me planning a series of loops. I ran a 6-mile loop, then a 4.5 mile loop, and finally a 1.5-mile loop. I figured a stop for CarbBOOM and water at the end of the 6-mile loop would hold me for the run; that last shot of water before the 1.5-mile loop would be just the thing.

And everything worked fine from that aspect. I didn't have a drop in energy or have any cramping or anything like that. But the run was almost as boring and running 12 on a treadmill, and that was my fear. I was reall afraid that looping around to a specific spot three times would be dull.

It was.

And I had some tightness in my ankle off and on. It was never bad enough to affect my stride or pace or anything, but it was there. Kind of like something rattling around in the trunk of your car.

The redeeming aspect of it all was that this was the last time I have to get up at 4:20 for a banana and toast with peanut butter. Next Saturday is 8 miles, and I'm planning for a banana and Gatorade for breakfast. And I'll take along a bottle of Gatorade to drink and stash along the way.

Now I gotta look up what I'm supposed to do this week.