8 Thoughts During my 8 Mile Run

Yesterday I headed out for an 8.6 mile run/walk which took me a little under 2 hours.  I was doing a 3:00 run/3:00 walk interval and hovering right around 12:00/mile.  Here’s some thoughts I had on my run:

1.  It’s hot outside.  Blazing hot.  At 6:00 a.m. the sun was just coming up and it was incredibly hazy. 

2.  Don’t get me wrong though.  Running first thing in the morning is much better than waiting until the middle of the afternoon.  I’ve made that mistake way too many times so far this summer.  I took Keifer on a walk two days ago and after 20 minutes he started laying down in every shaded area he could find.  He can’t even stand the heat!

3.  Running in the heat sucks.  I hate it.  Give me 30 degree temps any day.  I hate getting sweat in my eyes and being soaked in sweat by the time I’m done.

4.  When I was in Florida for the wedding the other weekend, I went out for a walk.  It was just too hot to run.  Other people were outside running though, and I told Eric they were crazy.  He said that some people would call me crazy for enjoying runs in 30 degree temps.  I don’t know what he’s talking about.

5.  I’ve been told the weather was awesome here while I was gone on the cruise…like weather circa summer of 2009.  I think the weather gods decided to play a cruel joke on me….they gave me awesome weather last year while training for my first half ironman, which prompted me to sign up for Ironman Louisville, but then they sent the weather back to normal – 90s and humid – to punish me for thinking I can pull this off.  How mean!

6.  If I can hover around a 12:00/mile pace during the Ironman, coolrunning.com’s pace calculator says I can finish the marathon in about 5 hours, 14 minutes. 

Now, the chances of me being able to hold a 12:00/mile pace on that day is slim to none, but I’m going to see what I’m capable of!

7.  What is it with all the rabbits running around nowadays?  They are EVERYWHERE and Keifer has pulled me across the grass quite a few times lately as he runs after them.  On my run I saw three rabbits within 20 feet of each other!

8.  Did I mention how much running in this weather sucks?  Loathe.