Our trainer cancelled our track workout tonight due to high heat and humidity. Oh yeah... we like her. In its place I did a quick air-conditioned treadmill workout, threw in some abs, and was showered before 7. Nice. 

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My friend Dave wore a t-shirt to our run the other day that's too good not to share. It had two big cartoony buzzards sitting atop a telephone pole, looking down at a bunch of runners below them. The pole had a sign taped to it reading, "Mile 24." One buzzard turns to the other and says, "This was a good place last year."

Love it!

My right leg has been steadily tightening since I started with my running group, so after tonight's hill workout I decided to be kind to it and ice it down. I walked in the front door and through the house to the kitchen, where Blair had dinner waiting. I grabbed the one ice-pack we own out of the freezer, along with a bag of frozen peas. I put the ice-pack under my knee and slid the frozen peas under my right buttock. We ate dinner and chatted about our day.

After dinner, I carried the bag of peas to the freezer.

"What are you doing with those?" asked Blair. 

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My running group fires up this week with our first "getting to know you" run on Tuesday, July 1st. That means it's time to get serious about marathon training which involves a whole series of "goals and resolutions" that musn't, under any circumstances, be broken, the exception being if I am really, really, craving chocolate. =)

I'm running the Richmond, VA marathon in November. My goal is to run under a 4-hour marathon. I don't care if my time is 3:59:59, I just want a "3" to kick off the number. To obtain that goal, I've rejoined my running group which means group runs on Tues/Thurs/Sundays. I'll also throw in a trail run with friends on Wednesdays and--if I have the stamina for it--another run on Saturday.

I'm determined to follow

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I met up this morning with people from my running group and we started our run about the same time as an elite group of runners beside us. One guy in the elite group runs with a Jack Russell Terrier and I found out today that dog is capable of running 20 miles at a stretch, and takes GU (energy paste) just like humans. It's in amazing shape. The owner hooks a retractable leash to the waist of his pants and the dog runs out ahead of him.

Even more amazing is a woman I barely passed who was hauling ass uphill while pushing a monstrous baby carriage, loaded down with diaper bag, toys, and baby. She must have been pushing 50 pounds. Someone told me there are some races that have special awards for runners who push strollers. I remember at the first 5k I ever ran, there was a dad beside me pushing one-year old twins in a stroller. The start gun went off and I never saw him again. He took off. Those stroller runners are FAST.

I'm excited to start training, although the gas money to get me to and from GSO 4 days a week might kill me. I've got several goals in mind which I'll share once training starts. For now, I think my goal should be twofold:

1. Try to keep up with the dog.

1. Don't get passed by the lady pushing the stroller.