Mid-week update

So, Saturday we did a 6 mile "long" run.  I'm tapering for San Diego (June 3!), so I'm not too worried about mileage at this point.  It was a pretty good run, nothing special.

Monday The Husband and I went for our second trail run.  This time we did 3 miles around dusk (it was just getting dark as we finished up).  It was a pretty good run, except it was pretty warm and the humidity increased throughout the time we were running.  There were also some black buzzy insects that kept following us and buzzing really close to our ears, which is annoying.  And, there is this flowering shrub/vine thing, apparently ubiquitous around these parts, that is in bloom and the smell is AWFUL.  I'm sure someone would probably like it, but it's too strong and cloying, and it dries out my throat.  I think I may be mildly allergic. :-/

The evil plant looks something like this:

Abelia chinensis, courtesy of Kurt Stueber, under Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 3.0

And can be found lining the trails and sidewalks in many areas, often right alongside the much nicer smelling honeysuckle plants.  The ones I'm seeing now aren't quite in full bloom like this, but they are already VERY fragrant.

As we were heading back to our car after the trail run we spotted a large snake.  It was dark in color, about 3' long, and 3" in diameter at the largest part.  Not sure what kind it was since it was getting dark (and, to be honest, I didn't want to get any closer!), but it was kind of creepy, haha.

Today I'm doing my first weight-lifting workout and then doing another brick.  Hope I can still move tomorrow!

Trail run + long run!

This week I managed to run two whole times, aren't you proud of me? ;)  On Wednesday afternoon, The Husband came home and we decided to go on our first-ever trail run.  There are some cool trails out behind the dog park here in town, so we laced up our shoes, sprayed on our sunscreen and bug spray, and hit the trail.

Trail running is a lot different from road running, let me tell you.  The constant ups and downs, concentrating on each footfall to ensure you don't trip and fall, and the rocky, bumpy terrain are more physically and mentally exhausting than running on a regular paved surface.  We only went about 2 miles, but we really enjoyed it!  We saw several other runners out on the trail as well.

Saturday morning we went to Grapevine as usual.  I decided to make this a cutback week and schedule 6 miles.  It was about 45 degrees when we started, which felt pretty good, except my hands were aching from the cold.  Once we got warmed up and into the sun it wasn't so bad, though.

One thing we've really been enjoying on our runs the past few weeks is the scent of honeysuckle.  It seems like it's everywhere this spring, and it makes me smile and breathe deeply every time we pass the vines.  The Husband and I have also been listening to a Pandora station of 90s music during our long runs, which has been pretty entertaining.  For instance, I learned on Saturday that "Waterfalls" by TLC is the perfect tempo for my usual running pace.  Who knew?!  Don't worry, we're being safe - no headphones, just playing through the speaker on The Husband's smartphone.  Hope we're not annoying everyone else on the trails!

Anyway, Saturday's 6 miler was awesome!  I think I'm about due for a crappy long run, but I'm really hoping I get a break during my 10 miler this coming Saturday.