20 Mile Treadmill Run

Video Watching on the Treadmill

I tried to run 12 miles outside Wednesday, but I could only run 10. I had no energy so I ran home and I couldn't even muster the energy to finish on the treadmill. It's probably because of the heat, humidity and bad air quality we've had lately. 

But today was different... Today I ran on the treadmill. I watched an old black and white mystery movie and and a chocolate cooking show while I ran with the fan and air conditioner cooling me off. I ran progressively faster as I went along and ended up finishing in just under 190 minutes (9:30/mi total ave). Seeing that I was able to speed up in the later miles was fun.

This run wasn't easy, but it was the best run I've had all week (and the longest). I don't feel nearly as tired as I did after my other shorter runs outside. I'm really glad that I have a treadmill so that I can run through the hot summer and be ready for a fall race - if I find one to run!

Pre-run: raisin toast and a banana
During: Gatorade and raisins

Run to Lighthouse Rock

Palo Duro Canyon, in the Texas panhandle, is a gorgeous place to go for a run and that's just what I did last Sunday. My husband and I were on vacation at the park. We set out for Lighthouse Rock early in the morning with him on his bike. After about 5 miles of running and carefully climbing up two steep rocks where I needed my hands on the ground to steady myself, we arrived. That's me in the center of the photo at the Lighthouse Rock- just a tiny spec in this great big world, but let me back the story up to the "getting there part"...

It had rained the two nights before so to get to the rock, we needed to get through muddy water on the road many times. There was no way around the road mud so I went right through it. The trails were often slippery with mud, too. Sometimes I could sidestep the mud, but then I had to watch out for the prickly cactus. Danger, danger! I stopped often to scrape the heavy mud off of my shoes on trail rocks. 

Fun in the Mud!

We turned our run/ride into a hike once we were close to the rock. Finally, we saw what we had come to see!

My Climb to Lighthouse Rock

Getting There

I Made It!

My Husband Beside Lighthouse Rock

Running in the canyon was one of my most memorable runs. I loved the rock formations, the mountains, the red dirt, the dry air and the flowers. I love vacation running. 

Indian Blanket/Fire Wheel Flower

Fuel: bananas (pre-run), Powerbar chews and pretzels

Gear: Camelbak worked great.

Miles: 10 (Mesquite camp to Lighthouse Rock and back), 9 mi. running 
Running Pace: 11:00/mi. ave. 

Elevation: 2800
Palo Duro Canyon Day 1

Palo Duro Canyon, Texas

We took off for Palo Duro Canyon last Friday.  It was a long 11 hour drive north of Houston, but it was worth it. We made it to camp just in time to roast marshmallows and watch a lightning storm. On Saturday, we rode off to explore the beautiful canyon. 

Deer!

That afternoon, we went on another bike ride.

Riding 10 hilly miles was warm, but fun (love the down hills!) even though it was 100 degrees - seriously, see the thermometer? Dry heat beats humid heat.  

My husband and I road on the hilly roads and then we ventured off onto Rojo trail, too. 

Some of the trail was hilly, too. 

Our RV Site in Mesquite Camp

Even though the rented 2005 RV rattled as we drove down the road like a noisy tin can (really!), it was a fun first RV trip for us. I liked having a kitchen with a refrigerator and a restroom and being inside during the rainstorms at night.

Before the day was over, I went on a 5 mile run down the road (10:12/mi ave) before we were treated to another lightning storm. Thankfully, it only rained at night and our days were dry - except for the mud, but I'll write more about the mud and the best day of our vacation next time.

Lightning Storm Before the Rain 

18 Mile Run

Garden of the Gods 

I wasn't really thinking about running 18 miles when I got ready for my run this morning. I wanted to try to run a little and to see how I felt after having a little foot soreness a couple of days ago. No foot troubles today! I skipped the Body-glide (to prevent chafing and blisters) and wore some old Adidas socks I never wear on long runs. Even though I needed to take off my socks to wring all of the water out after running 10 miles, I was surprised to find that I didn't have any blisters or chafing even after about 3 hours of hot and humid running (plus more time to walk and stop for water).

My husband met me and ran with me towards the end. That was great. He was doing a walk, run thing and I just did what he did. When we ran, I felt like I was running a 5K. I was really hoping the walk breaks would come sooner. Still, it was fun to try to keep up. He helped me to raise my average pace.

Pre-run: banana and Gatorade
During run: 3 Gu gels (so sad, I ate my last chocolate mint gel!), Gatorade at mile 16, 2 salt tabs (to prevent cramps in the heat)

When I Finished: Temperature: 82, Heat Index: 86

Have you seen these? Joggobots, a companion robot for runners. 

Photo Info & Update: Just dreaming about our chilly Colorado Springs, Colorado, hike at the Garden of the Gods last December. I forgot about those blogs with my blog photo in the sidebar when I posted. For those of you who saw the photo before reading the post, I hope no one felt like I had used false advertising to get you to come read my post on a hot run in Texas!

Ride & Run

My Bike on the Loop

I've added riding back in to my weekly exercises of running and strength training. I usually ride twice a week. It's fun to go faster than I do when I run and to feel the wind cool me off. I like to ride at Memorial Park on the Picnic Loop (named for the picnic tables along the loop). It's close to home so I'm able to ride to the loop from my house. There are other bikers and runners there so it feels fairly safe even though it's right in the city of Houston.

Today I rode for about half an hour and then I ran four miles. I had a slight pain on the bottom of one of my feet. It's probably nothing, but I cut the run short just to be safe. I had planned to run with my dog at the end of my run, but instead we played with her ball in the back yard. I had a good time riding, running and ball throwing, too.