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Friday, April 17

Deers, Rabbit, Coyotes, Oh My

I decided to go for a run last night on my hilly course. I wasn't sure how much of this trail I could cover. The trail has various hill about every half mile. The hills range from short and steep to loooong and gruelling. These trails parallel farm fields and residential homes. Its not uncommon to see cows and horses but I was surprised to see 4 adult deer all together. They were running just like me, but in the opposite direction. I could hear the coyotes howling in the background. For a minute I thought maybe I should be running the other way too=). Shortly after that I saw the biggest jack rabbit. It was a regular wildlife zoo out there last night!
I ended up doing 6 miles of hills! I am not timing myself right now just because I am working only on distance and hills until I build up my leg strength and base mileage again. After my run I inhaled the most delicious Texas grapefruit (thanks for the citrus idea Kim!) and looked for my mace to take with me next time.
I am looking forward to a FLAT long run Saturday. Hope you all have a great weekend of running!

Distance---6 Hilly Miles
Pace---Much faster when I heared the coyotes=)
Time----Approx. 1 hr

7 comments:

Kim said...

Wow---that sounds like a gorgeous trail!!! I would love to run on something like that!

I see deer on my runs a lot,too...esp when I go early in the morning. We have foxes in our neighborhood....that kinda scares me, but they are so scared of people they always just run off. One morning I saw a HUGE gray fox going across a horse pasture...which is actually across from where our house is. That made me a tad bit nervous!

Sounds like a great run! The grapefruit sounds delicious!


About my half time...I have never really thought about a goal for a time for me. I have a good friend that ran in the Little Rock half this past March and had a time of 2:12...which I thought was really good! Based on my 12 mile run yesterday, that is probably what mine would have been had I finished 13.1. Honestly, though, I would be thrilled to run the whole way with no injuries and feel good afterwards. I felt pretty bad last night....very achy. That would be my goal!

Kate said...

Hi Terri!
Thanks for visiting me! I love that I've found another wonderful running blog! :)

My goal for the Thanksgiving half was 2:20 and it ended up being 2:23. I felt great afterward though and ran the whole time; just paced myself when I felt tired. I had gels, as well, which kept me going. I didn't really get to train for it though so I hope I can do a 2:12 someday!! I made the mistake of running 13 miles 6 days before it (just wanted to see if I could even do it). So I highly recommend to not do that!!! ;)

Terri said...

Kim, foxes would make me carry my mace! My husband teases me about my fear of the coyotes=) but apparently it's not enough to keep me off that trail. I think your goal for the half is a great goal! I felt pretty bad after those hills last night too.

Kate, I know what its like to wonder days before a race if you've done enough to get through it. I did the same thing a few days before a 15k and then struggled through the entire race.
What gels have you used? I have yet to find one that doesn't make me gag. I thought about getting a hydration belt this year and bringing some premixed drink, but I don't normally drink that much during a race anyway...

Kate said...

I know it! The gels make me gag too! But somehow I get them down. I use the GU gels and found the berry flavored ones and the "chocloate" ones are ok. I try to "chew" the gel and imagine it's food! I can't drink when I run but have thought about getting a small fuel belt of some sort to sip here and there.

And yes, feel free to ad me! Thanks for asking; I should have asked you before adding you! I was just so excited to find a wonderful running blog in yours that I added it right away!

Much Ado said...

Sounds like your run yesterday was pretty exciting! Lizards are about the height of scary things I come across here!! So not too much to worry about!

Short and steep or long and gruelling, I hardly know which is worse! :)

Kim said...

Where can I get gels? And which ones do you recommend? I know longer distance runners need them and it might help me out to use them on my longer run days.

I am pretty careful about what I eat and drink and don't like a lot of sugar, artificial ingredients, etc. Are there any that are healthy and not loaded with sugar????

Is there a sports drink that is healthy and natural and gives energy for longer runs? I'm pretty much a water girl, but could use a boost of energy for the 10 mile runs.

Terri said...

Kim, you can find the gels at most sporting good stores or your local running store.
I am the same way about artificial ingredients, but found out the hard way I do need some type of drink or gel.
I tried what I thought was a more natural solution to sports drinks last year called Smart Water, but it was not enough to replenish the minerals my body lost through sweating.
If you find something more natural though let me know!