After working 1/2 day last Saturday and looking forward to the same for the next 2 Saturdays, I wanted, no needed, to sleep in on Saturday. Unfortunately I am not a particularly late sleeper and John was stirring around by 6:30 AM preparing for his 60+ mile bike ride. So around 7:15 AM I found myself awake and in the kitchen wondering why John hadn’t pushed the brew button on the coffee pot before he left. Ah, nice quiet time to lounge in my jammies, drink coffee and and catch up on blog posts. Okay, not exactly. I hear baby Dunlap moving around upstairs and I scrambled to get some shorts and a t-shirt on before the kid is permanently scared by seeing me in a night gown.
After a couple hours of undisturbed time on the computer, it was run time. Saturday should have been a longer run, but, with rain threatening, I decided to put it off until Sunday and went out for a short effort. On the way out, I stuffed my camera in my pocket in case the private plane that had flown head first into the river early last week (pilot is okay) had not been removed. It had.
A few rain drops started to fall as I ran by the airport, then more drops and finally a downpour. I found a temporarily dry spot under some large oak trees, checked to be sure my cell was in a plastic bag, took a photo and ran home.
Since I did not get a chance to photo the plane before it was lifted out of the TN River, I borrowed this one from the WVLT website. The white cloth floating around the plane is a parachute. Fortunately, the plane was too close to the river so the parachute, while deployed, was not needed. The current speculation is that wind and weather in the area may have played a role in the crash.
John drove into the driveway just as the rain really broke loose. He was pleased with the 60 mile group ride from Maryville through Townsend, around the Cades Cove loop and back to Maryville. Apparently a big (12 person) turnout with lots of friendly competition. Rain continued for a good part of the afternoon and we lounged about doing nothing in particular.
We headed to Chaiyo’s Thai and Sushi restaurant for dinner. One of our favorite types of food is Thai and Chaiyo’s is truly the best Thai food in Knoxville. Located on James Agee Street, the restaurant lies in the heart of the University campus and since most of the students on break right now, this was the perfect weekend night to grab a nearby parking spot and enjoy a quiet, intimate meal. We ordered too much… soup, chicken sticks, vegetable rolls and Panang Curry but managed to eat every bite and sop up the last of the curry sauce with an extra scoop of rice. Both of us waddled back to the car, holding our stomachs, complaining about eating too much but smiling big.
Sunday morning arrived and like it or not, it was time to do a longer run. I am struggling with my long runs right now, the heat and humidity are kicking my butt. After yesterday’s rain, the humidity was heavy! A thick cloud cover kept the sun at bay but there was no hint of a breeze. As usual, I ran the first miles through the neighborhood. Somewhere near the downtown airport, a car full of burly guys slowed to a stop and rolled down a window. A cloud of marijuana smoke poured from the open window and one the guys asked if there was a good place to eat nearby. Really?! I know I run slow but do I look like I want to stop and chat about restaurants? I mumbled something about turning around and heading downtown and went on.
Eventually I arrived at the waterfront and my favorite running reward, the Coke machine. I run with a $ bill just for this purpose. Small problem, today the machine would not take my bill. In a panic, I pulled my cell out of it’s plastic bag and dialed 577-JOHN. I kept running while he got a Coke and drove down to the landing to meet me. Coke consumed, John went home and I kept running.
The last couple of miles were tough but I made my 10-mile goal. As I said a few paragraphs ago, my running has suffered recently. Last night John and I had a long talk about my running goals and ability to achieve them. He is so encouraging but I am struggling with some real confidence demons, he cannot do the work for me…
