In loving memory

So first of all, I have some sad news. My dog, Pepper, who I've had since I was eight passed away on Friday. Everyone thinks their own dog is the best dog, but Pepper really was the best dog. When I was running in high school I used to take Pepper with me at the lake or on the town bike path, and she usually slowed me down because she had to stop every twenty feet to sniff something by the side of the path, but I loved running with Pepper and I will miss her very much. So, I just wanted to take a minute to say good-bye Pepper, I love you.

On a more running-related note...
I did my 13-miler on Saturday -- yay!!! It was pretty tough, but I do have to say that I did not feel nearly as bad as I did last weekend after my 11 miles. I didn't feel like I couldn't move, and on Sunday, the day after, I didn't really feel pain at all.
For my run I decided to do a straight shot all the way out to the Olympic stadium, past it through Parc Maisonneuve. This weekend was pretty bad for weather, but it held off long enough for running. Saturday morning the sky threatened rain and there were these really eerie-looking dark clouds rolling in... I was a bit nervous I'd get stuck 7 miles away from home in a thunderstorm and have to use my emergency bus money to go home and do the 13 miles a different day... but the rain held off until about mile 12, and running that last mile in a downpour felt SO GOOD.
On my way to the park, probably about 4 miles in, there was an overwhelming smell of McDonald's french fries that followed me for AT LEAST two miles... I swear the guy running ahead of me who I was trying to keep pace with had a super-size order in his fanny pack or something.... man that was torturous.
I decided that for my long runs, I'm going to make a point to run somewhere new every time. This weekend was the park, which I have to say, was a little boring. Running in parks is overrated... there's not much to look at and I'd rather have cool buildings and restaurants and shops to pass by so I can semi-people-watch.

This week is a bit of a plateau/recovery week for me. The long run at the end pulls back to only 8 miles so I think that's pretty doable -- and needed.

I can't believe I just woke up and ran 13 miles on Saturday morning, though. I mean, like I said in my last post, I worked all summer to run that distance last year, and here I am... running it just for training, even faster than I raced it, feeling fine the next day. I really can't believe how mental running is sometimes. It really comes down to... "Have I done this before?" ... "Yes." ... "Okay then, it's no big deal."  With time, everything becomes easy.

I'd like to end this with a bit of advice from one of my favorite people. I've been keeping in close contact with my grandpa Kermit (yes that's his real name) via e-mail, but unfortunately that is the extent of his Internet capabilities and he can't read my blog no matter how many times I send him the link, so I've been updating him on my training in my e-mails. Last Friday, this is what he wrote to me in an e-mail:
"Do you remember how heavy you felt after spending time in water? When I got out after an hour of water aerobics this AM, my body felt like it weighed a ton. Much like yours must feel after 15 miles. Try to remember how light you were under water -- Good luck with that!"

So Gramp, even though I know you're not reading this.... thanks for the tip, I'll try keeping it in mind next time I'm out there and it doesn't feel easy anymore. Love ya!