Bradbury Wander

I met up with Dora, Blaine, Erin and another guy who I didn't know this morning at Bradbury for a long run. We all headed out onto the Bruiser, but Blaine and other fast guy quickly got ahead, and Erin was doing her own modified version of the course, leaving Dora and I on our own. The miles flew by as we wandered through the woods, chatting about this, that and everything in between. I was really glad to have her keep me company on the east side trails. She was the perfect running partner, easy to talk with, fun, laidback, and willing to let me take the lead on the pace. We ended up running the Bruiser course up until we hit the Link Trail, where we banged a right and headed back to the parking lot. The Garmin was reading 9.0 just before we crossed the street, where Dora stopped for the day and I took a few gulps of Gatorade at the car before heading on. By then, the fog that I had driven through getting to the park had long since burned off, leaving bright skies and warmer temps. It was also incredibly humid, and I was soaked. I hadn't thought to bring another shirt, so I just prayed I wouldn't chafe too much in the next miles!

I was wearing my Nathan vest, filled with Nuun, a new twist in the ongoing experiment that is hydration on the trail. I haven't been using HEED at all this summer, having found that I quickly sour on the sticky sweet taste. And Gatorade, although a perennial favorite, seems to just have too much sugar for me once I'm out there for longer than an hour or so. I was unsure whether I would like the Nuun, as it has a bit of a fizz to it, but surprisingly I found I liked it. It wasn't too sweet. It wasn't sticky. It had some flavor but not a lot. It went down easily. I'll try it again next weekend, but I think I may have found a new option for the long run! Cool.

The plan for the second half of my run was to do one lap of the Breaker and then another partial loop, with the route depending on how I was feeling and how the mileage was adding up. I was sad to part with Dora, but was feeling good as I headed out the Boundary trail. I was definitely going slower than during last weekend's race, but I don't think I walked any more than I did while racing. By the time I was heading up the Summit Trail, there were a fair number of people out on the trails, and even though I walked up the steep trail, I passed a few families along the way. At the summit, there was a blessed breeze, but I only stopped for a few seconds to catch my breath before continuing down the Tote Road. The new bridge the Boy Scouts were working on last weekend was complete and looked good. I opted to take the Terrace Trail down, as I'm not a huge fan of the Switchback trail. When I got to the parking lot and saw the yellow car, I knew Sam and Ryan had arrived. I stopped quickly at the bathroom, and (TMI alert!) realized I had gotten my period, for which I was totally unprepared. Oh well, not much to do but continue on and hope for the best. I figured Ryan and Sam must be down at the playground, so I headed that way. Hmmm. Not there. Back to the car for a swig of Gatorade and a call to Ryan on the cellphone. They were out on the Boundary trail looking for me. The Garmin was reading 13.65 as I headed back out to find them. I was definitely feeling a bit wilted :-), and well, my stomach wasn't feeling super great, but all in all, I thought I was doing pretty well.

Sam was cheering for me as I got close, and seemed to be having a blast in the baby backpack. It was a nice boost to see them out on the trail, but after a few minutes, it was time to start running again. The plan was to continue on the Boundary Trail but instead of turning to go down the South Ridge trail, take a left and go up to the summit instead. Ryan and Sam were there to meet me, and we stopped to chat for a few minutes more. They opted to take the quick route down, while I took the Terrace Trail down once again. I ended up with 16.5 miles in just under 3 hours. Not the quickest 16 miles I've ever run, but I felt like it was a solid effort. I also finished literally soaked, and Sam did not want any kisses until I had stopped sweating and changed my clothes :-) We sat at one of the picnic tables in the shade, enjoying the breeze and a snack before heading home.

Unfortunately Sam fell asleep about 5 minutes from home, and refused to continue her nap once we got her in the door, meaning all hope for a quiet afternoon respite was lost. What a little stinker! :-) Ah well. Instead, we headed to the mall so Ryan could pick up some software for his computer. You know, the all-American past time of shopping? Aie. Scary! But Sam had a blast walking around, getting out some energy as we window shopped. As long as she doesn't get used to it!!