Ode to Dennis...

My roommate, Dennis, closed on his new house on Friday – something I have been anticipating since earlier this year.  I always knew the day would come when we’d have to face reality and stop leaning on one another for, well…everything.  Living with your best friend has its incredible benefits and its obvious draw-backs, but its been a pretty decent ride.  And, naturally, for the last few days I have been thinking about the little things I have learned from Dennis over the course of our 3 years as roommates. 

So, I dedicate this week’s blog to Dennis (and the things I thought about on my 10+ mile run, this dreadfully hot Sunday morning).  Thank you, D, for helping me realize the following:

1.       Not everything (in fact basically nothing) needs to be cooked on “high” J.  I might even stretch to say that food tastes fantastic when not scorched.

2.       It might be ok to leave a coffee cup in the sink after its use – it doesn’t mean anyone is trying to purposefully annoy me (even though the dishwasher is a mere 5 inches from the sink).

3.       Pita, the cat, will never love me – she will merely tolerate my presence because you are my friend.

4.       Even though you are looking at me, smiling intently, as I tell you my plan for the day – it does not mean, in any way shape or form, that you are listening.  So, I should not be offended when you text me at 5pm to ask what time I am planning to be home and whether you should plan to wait for dinner.

5.       My dog, Brunhilda, is as smart as she looks.  Sadly, that says nothing good about her.

6.       Cars get dirty – I should wash them. 

7.       Beer brewed in Pennsylvania since 1829 tastes better than any beer brewed anywhere else in the country.

8.       Its true – I tend to embellish really good stories about my life.  No one else ever called me out on it, but you.

9.       I should never attempt to purchase a large item, like a car, a TV or a laptop, without your guidance.

10.   The little window that appears occasionally at the bottom of my laptop screen that says “Updates Available Now” is not making a suggestion.

There will be more, but these are the ten or so that I came up with as I pushed out my 10+ miles in 90+ degrees, today.  I passed only one runner in my hour and 45 mins on the streets and dozens of cyclists – nary a one acknowledged my existence.   Maybe I have set my expectations too high.  

Next week 18 miles in the Los Angeles area!  Cooler temps are certain!

Early last week I watched the weather predictions – this is simply something I have to do when planning a long run. It looked like Sunday would be cooler than Saturday; weather.com suggested low humidity levels and temps around 83. So, when I rose at 4am this morning to 88 degrees, my heart sank. This week had been one of the most uncomfortable I have ever experienced in Phoenix – Thursday was 99 degrees at 4:30am – 99 DEGREES! Fortunately, another haboob infested Phoenix on Thursday night and by Friday morning I was able to run outside (only 82).

Yesterday, Anne told me she would meet me on my long run at mile 7 and mile 13. I always feel awful asking anyone to get up at 6am to cheer me on, but Anne never seems to give it a moment’s thought. So, when I stepped outside to begin my 16 miles, I knew I owed Anne and good run – that I needed to hit my mark’s with appropriate times.

At 5am I headed out of Ahwatukee and into Tempe and then turned into Chandler after mile 4. I passed bicyclist after bicyclist and couldn’t help but think about my friend Matt’s latest blog. He mentioned an “unnamed asshole” who rides with them some mornings in his latest issue. The truth is, I find most bicyclists to be “unnamed assholes” – well over 90% of them, at least. Why? Well, I have been a street-runner for years and RARELY do I meet a bicyclist willing to share the road. Because of this, I tend to hop from sidewalk to shoulder as I run. (Once, in fact, a bicyclist yelled/swore at me about being in the bike lane.) However, it’s not JUST about sharing the road; it’s a LOT more than that. Runners – well, most runners – say hello, give a wave or at least nod as they pass one another. I must have passed a half dozen runners this morning – all of whom greeted me at some point as we came close. However, I passed maybe two dozen, if not more, bicyclists, as well. ONE biker nodded. ONE! I wave, I say hello/good morning, I even smile through my mileage and I get bupkis in return. Bicyclists are clearly NOT enjoying their routines. I mean, doesn’t the workout produce endorphins – thereby putting them in good moods? All I have to say is this – I am working JUST a freakin’ hard as you, pushing out all these miles on my little size 8 feet, do me a favor and AT LEAST smile at me.

I just hope Matt smiles or says hello to those of us pounding the pavement. :)

Anyway – mile 7 came and went. Anne had water, Gu, wetnaps, tissues and Advil. I love her! After visiting for a couple of minutes, I headed out and at mile 9 took a short walk to cool off a bit. I have found that if I walk for a couple of minutes in the horrid heat, the sweat tends to cool me off and I can continue on the route. I did this every mile or so until I saw Anne again at mile 13 where she once again produced water, Gu, tissues and wetnaps. She walked with me for a couple of minutes and then said “you got this – only 3 miles left.”

As she turned to head back to her house, I realized she was right. It was only 3 miles and with a couple of minutes of walking interspersed in the 3 miles, I would be just fine. And, so I was – and of course, I was also never so happy to round the bend and see her house in the distance – a full 16 miles from where I started just under 3 hours prior. I had done it! As much as I wanted to quit several times, I resolved that I needed to finish. There was no asshole biker in the world able to keep me from finishing what I started, only my brain. And, this morning, my brain said “go.”

Finally -- another blog!

Ok, several have complained that I have failed to blog for some time, but as a viable excuse – until this week – I was without a home computer. My house was burglarized on July 21^st – so hopefully the two of you who acknowledge that you read my blog will forgive the three week hiatus. The iPad was simply not an option.

This morning, I awakened to the wind slamming the outside-window coverings against the walls of my home. It was 3am. I was annoyed – the last of the five 5K Summer Series was at 6:30am. I needed the sleep. Nothing ruins my running confidence more than a poor night’s sleep, but the wind carried on for the next 90 minutes when I finally just got out of bed. Additionally, I was also frustrated knowing that, not only is this South Mountain 5K the hardest and most demoralizing of the series, but CLEARLY I would be enduring fairly high winds to boot!

I had received news last night that the majority of my best friends would not be joining me for the morning run – no Anne, no Loretta and no Amy. My other close friend, Rachel, is always iffy since she has a 20 month old at home who is getting her rear molars.

I arrived at South Mountain with 30 minutes to spare and within 15 minutes found Rachel. She had warmed up and was ready to beat her time the year prior (which was her first race post-baby). Additionally, and to my surprise, I found Jackie G. and her boyfriend joining forces in the wind. Jackie is new to running and seeing her this morning made me realize she really is committed to running and getting healthier. I am inspired by her spirit every time she shows up for a race! This is the 3^rd race I have seen her at in the last month – I was all smiles!

The race started late because the Park Rangers were heavily guarding the entrance to South Mountain – creating a line of vehicles down Central that extended for a mile. Out of respect, we all simply allowed for a 15 minute late start – after all, what’s 15 minutes when its already 90 degrees, sunny, with 30 mph winds. It also provided me an opportunity to visit the porta-potty one last time – which everyone knows makes me very happy.

The race started in waves and I elected to stand with the 9 minute milers. I am always a bit intimidated by the 9:00 sign, but I want to be in the 9’s so I know that’s where I should stand. I am not the smallest woman, so occasionally I get the “looks” from the other women and men around me, but I am confident those very looks will help me finish strong. In the back of my head is a little voice that says “it’s really hot, you’ve been pulling 10-10:30 minute miles on your long runs – you sure you want to stand here and get in the way of all these 9-minute-milers?” As I mentioned earlier, this particular 5K is the most difficult of ALL of the summer series. The first mile and a half are uphill – climbing nearly 300 feet. Last year, I wound up walking a chunk of the biggest hill just after the 1 mile mark – so I know its hard. I do this run every year – I am not sure if its to find a way to do well, or if its to remind me that I need to get more hill work in my routine. Regardless, everyone is intimidated by this run.

The 9’s take off and I am feeling really good. “Lovecats” by The Cure was the first song to come on my iPod and it made me want to dance and sing like an 8^th grader. I knew this was going to be a good run. We started our ascent immediately, and as I hit the one mile marker, I could see Rachel coming down the hard hill and I was jealous. She was already out of the tough stuff and I was moving head-first into the hardest part of the run. Runners were dropping like flies – I passed runner, after runner, after runner. Its so inspiring to pass runners who gave you the “stink-eye” when you stood next to them in the 9-minute corral. Some runners would abandon their runs mid-stream, not moving to the right – which is so terribly rude, but it gave me something to do, as I bobbed and weaved my way around them up the steepest part of the run. I hit the 1.6 mile mark and there stood the one and only water station. People bailed right and left at the water-stop, as well. But, having done this run so many times before, I knew everything was downhill from there, so I would wait another 13 minutes for water.

I rounded the bend and down I went. I was smiling, singing and really enjoying the run. I took a gander at my watch and I realized I had pulled sub-10’s for the uphill portion which meant (not only did I really belong with the 9’s), I could now pull sub-9’s on the downhill. And, I did… 8:42’s, 8:37’s, 7:35’s…I was thrilled. The course levels out for the last ½ mile and I was still pulling 9’s flat. I could see Rachel screaming my name and cheering me on as I came to the finish line – and I also knew it was my best South Mountain 5k, ever! My watch said 30:03 and 3.2 miles – so now I have to wait to see what the official times report from the www.azroadracers.com site.

That run is the hardest – no one does well. We all simply hope for a better run than the year before. I remember following my friend, Lora’s, butt the whole run, last year – how I wished she’d been there again this year – alas.

So to bring everyone up to speed – I completed a 12, 14, 10 and 13 mile run in the weekends that followed the burglary. The 14-miler was at home in St. Louis is 100% humidity. Hysterical. Next weekend I have a 16 miler – please pray for some cooler temperatures! I have no idea how much more of this heat I can handle.

…and we’re back in business, my friends!