getting closer

This past weekend, Mike and I spent the weekend at a friend's lake house with a group of friends. The weather was on the cooler side, but gorgeous. On Saturday, we took the boat out for lunch and then went to Goat Island. We got out and were able to walk around on the island to see the goats. They were adorable and let us pet them.

He reminds me of Franklin

We spent the rest of Saturday afternoon, sitting on the dock and playing corn hole on the porch. The sky was absolutely gorgeous.

We had a frozen lasagna for dinner (standard) and sang happy birthday to a dear friend. It was a really great weekend.

When we returned home on Sunday, Mike and I immediately headed back out the door. We both had to get our long runs in and we knew if we sat down, it wasn't going to happen. We headed back to Shelley Lake, where there are plenty of miles of trails and a wonderful place to run.

I needed 9 miles this week and Mike needed 12. The run started out great and for fuel, we decided to use gummy bears. Every 2 miles, we rewarded ourselves with 2 gummy bears. I have to say, knowing you get gummy bears makes 2 miles fly by!

All the way until mile 6 or 7, I felt awesome. Somewhere around that time, my knee pain returned. whomp, whomp, whooooommmmpppp.... just before I started to cry, I stopped to give my knee a good stretch. My running slowed to around 10/11 minutes per mile and I considered just walking back. But then, I started running normally again. by the time my phone died at 7.8 miles, I didn't even feel the knee pain anymore. I finished out 9 miles in 1 hour and 30 minutes. This whole knee issue makes zero sense to me. The only thing I can figure is that maybe my new shoes have gotten my stride off again?

My phone turned off at 7.8 miles, but Mike's kept calculating. Right at 9 miles he told me we were at 1:30 and he continued on to do 12.

At mile 3, someone (coughmikecough) got us lost on the trail after I told him he was taking us the wrong way which made us go up a SUPER steep hill. The hill was probably almost a quarter of a mile long, so I lost a lot of my time then. Mile 7 was when my knee was really killing me, but I am just happy I was able to get 9 miles in.

I know I will feel even better at 10, 11, and 12 miles, but since I have never run more than 8 miles before, hitting 9 was a huge deal to me. I am finally starting to feel like this half marathon might really happen. I hope my knee pain was just a fluke this week, but I did some serious icing last night on the couch and am thinking about getting some type of compression brace to wear. I am hoping that will help.

I slept pretty horrible last night because my legs were really sore. I hope I can get a better night's rest tonight and I plan on making sure I get my long run done on Saturday next week to allow for an extra rest day. Today, I was in need of some chocolate to keep myself awake...

btw... if you have never had this chocolate before, it is AMAZING! I mean, it has a texture and flavor like no other.