This is the best run ever! Patrick and I got to Forest Park in the morning. It wasn’t as early as we would have liked, but the temperature was in the high 40s, low 50s, during the run. We were freezing! Shortly after we began running, I took off. I didn’t see Patrick again until he was finished running. Right before we started, Patrick told me to run around the park once, and then one more time for a “victory lap.” When the run started to get tough, I just imagined that I was already done and I was just running down the streets of Vegas to let everyone know I was a winner. It was easy to imagine, because after running that long I started losing my mind a bit.

There is one very bad intersection at the park where cars just get off the highway and then are supposed to stop at a light. My brain wasn’t thinking correctly because I was so focused on running, so I found myself running across the road while vehicles were coming. I knew the lights had just changed, but I couldn’t comprehend what they had changed to. Someone honked at me. Still, I have no idea whether it was safe to run or not. I have to keep in mind to really think about what is going on around me when I run very long distances.

I was extremely tired when I was done, but I was still cold. It was very breezy during the run, and I ended up trying to warm up in the car. Patrick and I bought bananas and bagels beforehand, and when the run was almost complete, I could already taste the banana. The bagel tasted soooooo good! I can’t wait for next week. We’ll be running a half marathon next week.

After the run, we went back home and picked up my best friend Jane who was staying with us for her weekend vacation. We all went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for our cheat meal. This is one of my favorite places because it’s in a historic building on Laclede’s Landing downtown.

After that, we took a brewery tour at the history Anheuser Busch building. I was happy to learn the tour was free (as was two beers at the end of the tour. Although they were almost out of everything by the time it was our turn to drink. I asked them how they could be out of beer? Kinda weird that a brewery would run out.) We had a great time, but after a few sips I really wasn’t all that interested in drinking. I did get to sample some beers I’ve never tried, but after working out in the morning, my body didn’t want anything unhealthy.

That night, Patrick made hamburgers on the grill, and we also made some s’mores on the chimenea.

Thanks to Hurricane Erin, we’re getting some showers and wind today.  It’s not often we’re affected in St. Louis by hurricanes, but this one traveled right up the midwest and is dying out as it’s pushing through our area.  It was much cooler and overcast all day.  I ran right after work, and it was pretty windy, enough to make me wonder if it was slowing down my run.  About a mile into the run, it started raining, and it was off and on the rest of the way.  Nothing too hard, nothing too stormy…just a nice wet rain.  Felt great, actually. I don’t mind running in the rain.  I just don’t want my mp3 player to short out on me.

Conditions: 82 degrees, rain.
Results: today: 3 miles; shoe miles: 50; time: 30:43; pace: 10:14
Thoughts: Glad I wore my running gear that whisks away water!  Wearing cotton today would’ve slowed me down from weighing so much!
What I’ll remember the most: Trying to wear my sunglasses to protect my eyes from the rain.