Well, actually 3 things but sleeping in and naps count for 2 more as I have been very low energy recently. As they often do, this weekend went by too fast. The list of plans I made last week dwindled down to only a few things completed.
1) Ran 6.2 miles, then walked another 3.7…
My running plan had me going 5.0-miles on Saturday morning, which would be a bit of a stretch since my runs over the last few weeks had been only 3-4 miles. It was overcast and my heart wasn’t in it so I started slow and easy. These cheery pansies at my front door were a bright spot on a foggy day!
The view from our street toward the river and hills beyond looked ominous. I no more got to the bottom of the hill when the sky opened up and a steady rain began to fall. Dressed in shorts and a short sleeved shirt, the rain posed a threat for a hypo-thermic reaction so I ran back up the hill for warmer clothes.
By the time I ran back up the hill (.3-miles) and got the front door open, the rain had slowed and I was very warm. Let’s see, mid 50’s + 20 degrees factored in for running -damp weather conditions = well, I went with shorts and a long sleeve shirt. By the end of the run, I was glad, anything else would have been too warm.
The rain continued intermittently, mostly in the form of sprinkles. I watched my feet more than the scenery to avoid puddles that seemed to have formed everywhere.
I ran by the Downtown Airport, which was shrouded in clouds. Not much moving there.
The sun looked like it was trying to break out of the clouds over downtown Knoxville, but it never did.
It was somewhere past the river that I realized that I would make 5 miles though it wasn’t until I had run 5 miles that I realized I would go further. At the 5 mile point on my random run plan, I was a mile and a half away from the house. This is a problem with a random plan, there is no plan. Since walking home sounded worse than running, I made a U turn and headed back. Past the undecipherable graffiti…
Back along the river…
And past the 23rd mile marker for the Knoxville Marathon. The runners will be happy to see this in the morning!
By the time I arrived home, John was itching to go out for a walk. He had been out earlier but wanted more mileage and was in hopes I would go with him. Back out we went, me with my tired, somewhat uncooperative legs trying to match strides with his long legs on some area hills . Almost 4 miles later we called it a day, for exercise that is.
2) Had dinner with friends and they cooked…
Friends and favorite traveling companions Will and Kim invited us to dinner Saturday night to discuss an upcoming fall trip. Time is drawing near to pay the the initial down payment and we have been going back and forth on email with thoughts, changes and questions.
We made the obligatory couples pictures, just because Will and I are both big photo takers, Kim and John could care less! Notice the fire behind John and me. It is the 2nd to the last day of March and as it turns out, perfect for wine, dinner and a cozy fire to talk about exciting plans!
Will has been a committed vegetarian for over 40 years and more recently, mostly vegan. He made lasagna (with vegan ricotta “cheese”) and a Cesar salad with vegetarian dressing. Yum, yum!
Oil candles set a nice, relaxing mood!
3) Spectated the Knoxville Marathon …
Sunday morning and time for the 10th annual Knoxville Marathon. As the 22nd mile runs through our neighborhood, we have made it a point to spectate each year. This year was no exception. We grabbed mugs of coffee and proceeded to the Boulevard to cheer!
The neighborhood crowd was not as large as past years, usually lots of cow bells ringing near the band tent. The runners are coming into the neighborhood on mile 21. This group is running at a 4.0ish hour marathon.
This is a nice flat section for the runners. At the far end is a large cheering section.
These runners are just about to cross into mile 23. They will mostly all make it. We saw a few struggling but not too many. We did not stay around for the 6-7 hour marathoners where the stories of struggles appear.
Hope you had a great weekend! Thanks for reading.
Isn’t it great to be able to go out and run so freely? Okay, sometimes we get out a bit too far and are tired by the time we get home, but really, how lucky are we at having the fitness to cover the distances.
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I will be looking forward to hearing about your marathon! I had hoped to run one by 60, now it looks like it will be 62 before I can potentially get there! Thanks for commenting!!