I got out early this morning. I wanted to avoid the heat and the possibility of rain.
My cleaning lady comes at 7:30 am on long run days. So, that is another motivator to get up early and out on the roads.
The weather radar had no viable cells during my run, but the dew point was up at 73 degrees. We jumped from a chilly spring right into a Virginia summer. Running in these conditions will help with the upcoming shorter weekend races.
I’m still building back from the double marathon in May. So, I ran my 14-mile course through Pratt Park, across the Falmouth Bridge and two loops of the Heritage Trail, before returning home.
I figured a run of just under 2 1/2 hours. And, with two bottles of UCAN, and was going to take eight breaks, one every 17 minutes. So, I set my watch timer to 17 minutes and headed out.
I felt pretty good. My legs did not have a bounce. But then again, they haven’t had a bounce for quite some time.
When I got to the bottom of the Belmont Ferry Farm Trail switchbacks, I went a little faster than I thought I could maintain. The first Heritage loop was under 35, and the second was under 34. I got back home without slowing. So, I’d call the run a success.
By the time I arrived home, my cleaning lady had come and gone. I saw two Winning Time straps on my coffee table, one with a WT chip still attached.
The last time I worked with a WT chip was in 2015. I wondered where she found these straps. Were they under my couch? Or maybe between the cushions? I pulled the cushions from my couch, and there were no crumbs. She must have done some vacuuming in there. Today was the fourth time she has cleaned for me. I think I’ll keep her.
I stretched for an hour. Everything was done by 10 am.