Hyoomid

What a great week for running. I dropped down to 26 miles for the week, but the workouts felt more than my usual 30-35. The humid conditions made sweating out the old toxins much easier. So easy in fact, that even after showering I continued to sweat for about a half hour (leading to another shower, or at least a change of shirts). There was also a lot of rain. I never mind running in the rain (unless it's a downpour), but I do fear lightning. Yesterday I had planned to do a run on the levee, but there was a potential for pop-up storms. Every single time I run on the levee I think about the woman who was struck by lightning while running there. She was in training for a triathlon. For some years after, there was a memorial triathlon named for her. Between that and the mountain lion sighting a couple of years ago, I opted not to tun alone on the levee.

Instead, I popped out to Chris and Marisa's to check out their new baby. They just adopted a 2010 black Mini Cooper. It rocks. The speedometer goes up to 160, and I was assured that the little car could attain that velocity if one was to apply enough pressure to the gas pedal. They don't have plans to do it, but I think it would be fun to try...

Anyway, since I had my running clothes with me, Chris and I did a run around the lake. It was midday. It was hot. It was humid. And the run has some of the steepest hills in the region - all of the ingredients for a pain-filled running cocktail. Wow was my butt kicked. I think I had a bit of heat stroke the rest of the day. I never run in the middle of the day, preferring to do my jaunts around 6 a.m. or at dusk. While running the course, I kept telling myself that I would enjoy the endorphins that were sure to be flowing from the effort. The only thing that felt good about that run, however, was stopping at the end. This morning, I did a really short run in the rain. All systems seemed to be a go, so I'm assuming yesterday was a good thing.

Coming up shortly I plan to do a bunch of hiking and running in Colorado. I'm hoping that lung capacity will expand with the trip. I sucked wind in the Sierras a few years ago, so I plan to start with some moderate distances and paces until I get my goat legs.

Finally, the season finale of Breaking Bad aired last night; so brutal, but so genius at the same time. I can't say enough good things about it. Get out your iron stomachs and rent the series from the beginning. You just won't believe how good this show is.

Hasta Pronto...