Nothing funny about 17

Hey guys!! I hope you all had great weekends and awesome runs!!

So, Saturday's plan (aka random distances I make up from week to week) called for 17 miles. I haven't run that far since January, but we've been building up the flat and hilly miles training for PWP. We got early, around 6:30, which of course isn't early enough in TN in August. We headed out the door about 7:15 loaded down with our FuelBelts with frozen water and Gatorades. We headed from our house over to Shelby Park and decided to wind around the lake and golf course before heading for the Greenway. When we ran past the golf course I noticed a cooler with water by one of the holes, so I pointed it out to Brent as a good refueling spot for later. In August I knew there was no way even our 6-pocket Fuel Belts would have enough water and I've yet to spot a water fountain in that park. We headed out of the front of the park and stopped when we got to the ghettos houses that literally smelled like sewer before turning back and heading into the safe confines on the park. As we were heading back through a tiny little league of footballers were gearing up. They were so cute! They had to be 6 or 7 years old and they were loaded down in all the gear. I felt so bad for them considering how hot it was!! One team was obviously from an affluent part of town. Their cheerleaders were decked out in cutesy cutesy uniforms and their side of the stands was full of cookie cutter parents. The other team wasn't so "polished". Their cheerleaders had plain white T-shirts and black denim shorts on. I was totally for the "home" team. The affluent kids can fend for themselves, they don't interest me. I'm not sure who won, their game was finishing up as I headed out of the park hours later.

We headed down the greenway, and it was just getting hotter and more miserable. It was already 86 degrees by 9 am, and 89 by 10 am. I think I finished running just after 10. We were also under an ozone advisory for most of last week, every day the air was so thick you really couldn't even see the skyline, and it was muggy as hell. Brent just doesn't do heat, so I could tell it was bothering him more than me. Around mile 9 we stopped to walk for a minute and share some Sports Beans. His pace was really slowing down and he told me to go on without him. I hate doing that, but I was also ready to be done with this run! There were plenty of people on the greenway and we both had our phones so I knew he'd be fine. I decided to run straight out from the greenway in hopes of finding a cold water oasis in the form of a golf course water cooler! I swear that was the only thing keeping me moving, and I knew I would be so devasted if it was empty!! I was running out of water, so I was really happy when I got there and tasted the coolest, most delicious water EVER!!! I drank 3 paper cups (TOO MUCH!) and filled up my empty bottles. I splashed my face and thought about stripping down right there!!!! I was so excited I decided to run back and tell Brent about the great find!! I was at mile 13-ish, so I figured by the time I ran back to him, ran a different stretch of the greenway and then headed out of the park I'd be right at 17. I found Brent right after I hit Mile 14 and he looked exhausted. I told him about the water and he was instantly jazzed!! We went our separate ways as I headed through the sunniest part of that wretched Greenway. I swear, it's like being a bug under a magnifying glass, and there was this gross woman wearing bright red sweatpants walking with her gross family. They took up pretty much the whole sidewalk and I just wanted to tell her it was too damn hot for sweatpants and ask her what her problem was!!! (Of course as slow as they were moving she probably wasn't breaking a sweat!) Anyway, moving past them was an awesome goal, and as I left the greenway I hit mile 15. My goal was to keep running until I got to the bottom of the big hill near our exit/entrance to the park. I knew there was no way I could run that hill that morning, but after the super sunny stretch I was just spent. My stomach was gurgling all that water and I needed a break. I walked part-way around the lake and then slowly jogged to the bottom of the hill before walking up it. I made it back to my house right around 16.7 miles, so I ran around the block halfway to get 17. Right when I walked in the door Brent called me to come and get him, he was over it!! So Pips and I hopped in the car and drove back to pick him up at the bottom of the hill. It was a terribly dehydrating morning!!

I haven't shared my splits lately, so here is the terrible, horrible truth!! I can't wait for cooler weather!!

Overall: 17 miles, 10:06 pace, 2hrs 51 minutes
Mile 1:9:44
Mile 2:9:49
Mile 3:9:41
Mile 4:10:09 (don't know what happened here!)
Mile 5:9:20
Mile 6:9:33
Mile 7:9:55
Mile 8:9:52
Mile 9:11:58 (this is when we walked and ate sports beans)
Mile 10:10:07
Mile 11:9:44
Mile 12:9:37
Mile 13:9:51
Mile 14:9:46
Mile 15:9:34
Mile 16:11:11 (some walking)
Mile 17: 11:42 (some walking)

I guess overall I'm fine with the pace, it's actually faster than what I expect our marathon pace to be, but this course was mostly flat and the marathon course is not. I'm not feeling tired on these runs, just HOT, so I guess that's fine.

That afternoon we did some shopping and then went to Zanies Saturday night for a comedy show. It was SO much fun!!! We went to see Chris Porter and April Macie from this past season of Last Comic Standing. They were hilarious! We've never been to a comedy show before, so it was a really fun time. A local comedian opened, then April and then Chris. Of course April and Chris talked about how nasty and hot it is here, and Chris kept ribbing on us for being a little "slow" to catch some of the jokes. He asked if we all spoke English and someone yelled out that we speak "Southern" and he chimed right back with "Oh, I was unaware there was a translator somewhere in the audience". It was great, we had a ton of fun and there are several people I'd really like to go back and see in the upcoming months. We snapped a couple of pics I'll upload later.

Talk to you all later!!

Rachel