But back to the interesting part, the weekend!
Friday night Matt and I just chilled, cleaned up a bit and watching TV. I decided to take Friday and Saturday off running and do my final "long" run before the marathon on Sunday morning. So when I woke up Saturday morning I let Matt sleep a bit and did some organizing around the apartment before I finally woke him up around 11 so we could haul it to the beach.
I was kind of nervous about the traffic that late in the day to the beach (by the time we left it was after 12, prime time for going to the beach) and I was right...I think it took us about 45 minutes when it normally takes 20. Bumper to bumper. But all was forgotten by the time we got there and the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the water was cool.
We spent a few hours at Folly Beach County Park laying in the sun, playing in the water, and walking the beach. We usually don't go to this park, but I was glad we did today. The coastline here is unspoiled by houses and hotels and for a few miles it is just serene and empty, with a wide expanse of marsh land meeting the ocean, something almost out of a magazine. I forgot my camera, so sorry no pics!
Saturday night we met up with our pals Sandy and Jason and headed out to Brick downtown for four rousing games of darts!
Matt wanted to play best out of five (especially after were 2-2) but Sandy had to work the next morning so we left it at that.
Check out Sandy's INSANE closer to game 4!
I mean really, who does that?! ;) After our late night out (and too many beers for me) I was still planning on getting up early Sunday morning for my 8 miler. And I did! Although I think I left around 9ish, instead of 7 as I had hoped....but the run went well for being slightly hungover! Nothing spectacular, but here are my split times & totals:
| Time: | 01:19:07 |
| Distance: | 8.00 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 1,117 ft |
| Total Calories: | 906 C |
Split | Total Time | Total Distance | Elevation Gain | Elevation Loss | Average Speed | Max Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | 01:19:07 | 8.00 | 1,117 | 1,124 | 09:53 | 06:50 |
| 1 | 10:02 | 1.00 | 88 | 95 | 10:02 | 09:05 |
| 2 | 10:13 | 1.00 | 248 | 257 | 10:13 | 09:21 |
| 3 | 10:33 | 1.00 | 155 | 180 | 10:33 | 09:24 |
| 4 | 10:26 | 1.00 | 101 | 79 | 10:26 | 09:00 |
| 5 | 09:49 | 1.00 | 58 | 50 | 09:49 | 08:42 |
| 6 | 09:47 | 1.00 | 73 | 28 | 09:47 | 08:37 |
| 7 | 09:27 | 1.00 | 185 | 229 | 09:27 | 07:54 |
| 8 | 08:46 | 1.00 | 210 | 207 | 08:46 | 06:50 |
At one point (I guess around mile 4) I looked down at my Garmin to realize I was running an 11:00 pace! I immediately sped up but realized that when I don't have this thing to look at, I can take it easy without even knowing it! Needless to say I was considerably faster for the rest of the run, and actually sped it up for the finish.
After my run, Matt and I were debating between boating with Sandy and Jason (in the sun! on the water!) or hiking as planned. Matt was stuck on hiking so off we went! I packed us a nice fruit salad and we stopped and picked up Subway for after the hike.
The trail we decided on was the Swamp Fox portion of the Palmetto Trail. The Palmetto Trail actually goes all the way across the state of SC, but this portion was only 42 miles long.
We figured we would hike in about 3 or 4 miles and then turn around. We only got to 1.25 before we got bored. (Yeah I know, we suck right?!) I kept saying to Matt, "You're right! This is sooo much more fun than boating!" :)
The trail was just very narrow, not many clearings, and nothing much to look at. There were some pretty parts though.
Last night, I went on a short 3 mile run. My legs are seriously sore and tight, I have been stretching and icing as much as I can but hopefully by Saturday I will be okay. My left knee is also bothering me a little bit and that worries me the most. My runs this entire taper have been difficult, so although I am worried, I am staying optimistic that this is normal! (**I might also be worried about contracting the swine flu seeing as it has reached the Carolinas as of this morning...Are you guys worried about this new scare, or do you think it will pass over??)
I'm so jealous of your weekend at the beach. Ugh, why am I landlocked in the middle of the country??
ReplyDeleteGreat splits, the last one is so speedy! Sorry about your aches and pains. I hope they clear up soon.
And I am totally terrified of swine flu. I haven't been to Mexico recently, but a girl in my Latin class went there for spring break. I asked her if she was worried yesterday, and she said, "No because I didn't eat any pork." DUMB DUMB DUMB.
I'm mildly panicked about the flu, too! Especially since we're flying home today. Every time I sniffle, I think I must be coming down with it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great weekend, and the hike looks beautiful, even if you guys got bored of it quickly :)
Try not to worry too much about the taper runs. Everything I've read and experienced says that they're supposed to feel crummy.
Oh, and I looked up that Nigel guy you mentioned. I'm not positive (I only got a quick glance), but it's definitely possible that it was him!
Great photos! I want to go to the beach. Stay optimistic, and if you have to worry about something-- and during taper, I'm pretty sure you do!-- worry about swine flu. It's a good distraction. I guess that means I'm not all that afraid of it. ;)
ReplyDeleteHey! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love the photos on your post. As you will see, I am a HUGE fan of taking pictures of my runs (and life). ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the pics, I love em!
ReplyDeleteYou're getting so close to race day. Great work on the 8 miles. I naturally run at around an 10:30 pace too so when I'm aiming for long runs I try to slow down and when I'm aiming for speedwork I have to make myself go faster =).
Great pictures of the hike! The countdown to M-day is officially on. So excited for you!!
ReplyDeleteWhat, you passed up boating?? :)
ReplyDeleteI am actually kinda worried about swine flu. They have all these signs up at work (MUSC) warning people not to visit patients if they have any flu-like symptoms....scary!
Hey, I've been there! :-) Were you as good as me at the bullseye?
ReplyDeleteGreat pics from the hike! Don't worry about your taper runs, there is nothing more you can do anyway:) And I know you will do awesome!! Not worried about the swine flu!! I think it will pass over soon enough.
ReplyDeleteYou sure you're tapering? You've done more with your legs in the past 3 days than I have for 2 weeks!
ReplyDeleteOh, right. I'm slacking ;)
Marathon week! It's almost time, yay! I'm not sure I would have passed up boating...it sounds fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really worried about the swine flu...all the cases in the US are much milder than what was in Mexico. No freaking out yet!
GOOD LUCK this weekend!!!!! I am so behind on blogs but just wanted to make sure to wish you good luck! you will do amazing! soak up every second, there is nothing like the first marathon :)
ReplyDelete