Good week of training and some company for the mileage!

dad and i did lots of fun training on our thanksgiving get-together! we went out the first day he and mom got here and hit the track for a 3 mile walk that turned into a 3 mile jog/walk/holy crap run like the wind for the last part of the 2nd mile! it went something like this...

sun had set, kinda dark and about 4-5 oz of steak in my belly. bundled dad up a little as he isn't used to fall training especially fall with no sunshine! we headed out to the track that is 1/2 mile from the house and started with a nice fast paced walk. the first mile averaged out to about 14:45 so we decided to kick it up a little. the second mile involved walking all but the last 100 yards of the first lap which we decided to jog. the second lap we jogged for the last 200 yards (the half way point) and walked the rest, the third was the same. the last lap we walked (i was a little twinge-y on the outside of my right ankle, something i have been playing with for a few weeks) until just before the last 100 yards, then dad started to jog and i decided to give it my best. as i started jogging next to him, he pushed a little faster and pulled ahead a little. suddenly, we were both running and i just kicked in the turbo boosters and shot to the end of the track with a dad slightly behind (i had a combo of youth and a job that requires standing and therefor leg strength on my side!) whole walk/run was 3 miles in 43:45! averaging under 15 minutes!!

the next night, wednesday, we ate a pretty big and heavy dinner in charlottesville and i wasn't feeling like training. we finished up dinner by about 6, but by the time we got home it was closer to 8 and it was well after dark. it had been an unseasonably warm day however and was still quite lovely out and there was a pretty nearly full moon to light the way, so we decided, full belly or no, to go out and get in 3 miles again. this time, with respect to our digestion and a little stiff from the showing off the night before, i was only really wanting to walk, so there was very little actual jogging happening on this session.

thursday was supposed to be 3 miles, but since it was thanksgiving, the plans got a little off. we had meant to do the 1 mile hike at the natural bridge, but by the time we finished with dinner, it was getting pretty late and they wont let you go in after dark. since we couldn't hike, we decided to at least take the stairs down to see the natural bridge. the stairs, and i use this term somewhat loosely as they were really just unevenly cut pieces of stone stuck into the ground, led down to the bridge where we were to watch a really cool light show extravaganza. after walking the 150 or so stairs we walked out to and underneath the bridge and really got to experience it's size and majesty. it is a really cool thing! after the show (which was really cool except it was FREEZING!!!!) we went over to take the bus back to the top where the parking lot was. the first busload was already full and as cold as we were we decided to take the stairs back up rather than wait (not mom's favorite idea of the week). all in all, not quite 3 miles, but probably around 2 and some really good stair endurance.

saturday was the endurance walk. the team was meeting at 7 am, but we decided that it was too early for us so we headed out at 8 and got to c'ville around 8:45. i took dad on the 7 1/2 mile loop i took 2 weeks ago figuring we could finish up any additional we wanted to do (i was scheduled for 9 total this week) at the UVA track by the parking lot where my car was. after about 6 miles i made a judgment call that it was better to do 7 1/2 miles and be able to socialize than shoot for the 9 and need to spend the rest of the day on my tush at home, so we limited the walk to the original path. the walk was awesome, we went through campus as i usually do, but it was during the UVA/Virginia Tech football game which is a huge rivalry so there was LOTS of fun tailgating going on (many drunken frat boys!). due to the sudden plunge in temp, dad got to play around with thermals and layers (though he only brought running shorts and it was 26 degrees out so he borrowed my nylon running pants which were about 3 inches too short! very funny!) although it was cold, we had a great time, with potty breaks and all averaged 18 minutes a mile even with the substantial hills that this route provides. after finishing, we stretched and headed to smoothie king for some nutrients while waiting for mom to come to town. unfortunately, the combo of icy cold smoothie with wet though wicking under layers of clothing led to a somewhat deep chill and we headed out of smoothie king looking for someplace to change into dry clothes and get warm. in the interim, i turned the heat up to high in the car and drove to the school for a changing room. the school was closed (forgot about the holiday) and the heat in the car felt really good, so that, combined with the early wake up time and the overall fatigue from the walk led us to pull the car into the Giant grocery parking lot and take a nice 20 minute power nap while the heater blew full blast. ah yeah! good times!

all in all, a successful week of training and lots of fun having someone to train with!