Mmmmm Pancakes!

This week my running has gone very well. I was able to rack up a weekly total of 41 miles. That really boosts my confidence as I get ready for my first 50K ultra-marathon. My weekday runs were good and the weekend was even better. Our group run on Saturday started and ended at the Fargodome. Coincidentally, the local Kiwanis pancake feed was taking place at the dome. Nothing like capping off a long run with all you can eat pancakes.

Tuesday evening I went out for 6 miles and really pushed my pace. My legs didn't want to cooperate, so I had to force them to move quicker whenever they started to slow down. In the end it was a very solid run and I felt pleased with it.

Thursday morning was the group run from the store. Several of us wanted to get in some "bonus" miles, so we got up extra early (4:00 a.m. arghhh). Jon and Connie ran from their houses and met at the Dairy Queen. From there they made their way to the running store. At the same time Erin and I met at the running store and took off in the direction Jon and Connie were running from. We met them after 1.5 miles and together the four of us ran another 2 miles. We got to the running store just in time to run with the group. Connie had to cut her run short due to cramping in her legs, but Jon, Erin, and I went another 4.5 miles for a grand total of 8 miles that morning.



Saturday morning I got to the dome early. Jon had a route consisting of two out and back legs. The first leg was 5 miles and the second was 6 miles. I planned on running the first leg twice to get some extra miles in. I Strapped on my iPod and took off at an easy pace for the first 5 miles of the day. The temperature was something like -7 with a light breeze which puts the wind chill at somewhere around -20. My clothing choices worked out well and I was quite comfortable as I ran. I got back to the dome a little before the rest of the group arrived and ate some Gu and a Honey Stinger waffle ( a tasty new snack I'm trying out).

Honey Stinger Waffle

The group was rather small with only about eight of us. I think the small turnout was due to the cold. We took off and quickly settled into our smaller groups according to our pace. I ran with Erin, Penny, and Jerry for the first loop. When we got back to the dome we all grabbed some Gu or Shotblocks (kind of like gummy bears but with electrolytes). We snapped a couple of photos because we were all very frosted up.

John, Maggie (with headlamp), Penny, Jerry, & Erin

Maggie, Erin, and Me

We didn't stand around long afraid we would freeze in place. After about a mile Jerry split and went back to the dome. He hadn't planned on running the full 11 miles. Penny thought about going with him but talked herself into trying for the full distance. She overcame the bitter cold and some nagging doubts to finish all 11 miles! It was great! John and Maggie are a lot faster than our group so they would run a ways ahead then circle back to us and keep us company for awhile. It was very enjoyable to spend some time running with them. The last 3 miles were hard. My legs were screaming like crazy, but I had no choice but to keep on trucking.

We finally made it back to the dome. Everyone in the group who planned on running the full route got their 11 miles in and I got my 16 miles. Jon, Erin, Rick, and I had brought some clean clothes along so we could go have some pancakes without smelling up the joint. Lynette met us there and we all had a nice breakfast of all you can eat pancakes (buttermilk or buckwheat), sausage and juice. Erin's uncle was there and sat with us. It sounded like he was also a runner from bits of the conversation I heard. It was a fantastic way to start the weekend.

Today Jon and I ran from my house and put in a solid 10 miles. It again was a cold frosty morning. After about 3 miles my legs were definitely letting me know that they would rather be tucked into a warm bed than out running again. They realized that I wasn't about to stop running anytime soon, so they got into the groove and hung in there quite well. Jon and I were both glad when the run was over. He had run 11 miles at a very speedy pace on Saturday. A couple of weeks ago I had set a goal for this weekend of running a marathon over the two days. I reached my goal with 16 miles on Saturday and my 10.5 today! Soon I'll be running that far in just one long run. I can't wait!