Took the day off again yesterday and went to Laurel to do my big(ger) long run. Same as last week, parked at Ohiopyle and ran all the way up to the top of the big hill at ~mile 8. Went back down to the bottom at mile 6, and back to the top again. Then, I did it again (down, and back up). I reckon that's a total of 3 hill repeats of the "big" hill. Then I ran back to the car at Ohiopyle. Took me a little over 6 hours. That's almost 30 minutes faster than I did it last week. Except, it was nearly 20 degrees F cooler, and I took 3 extra bottles with me, in addition to the Nathan, which holds 2 liters. Needless to say, it was a MUCH more pleasant experience than last week.
Remember that David Lee Roth video for the song "California Girls," with the babes in bikinis everywhere? That's pretty much what Ohiopyle is like on a Friday afternoon in July. Yowza!! Hopefully my wife does not see this. I'm sure nobody reads this stupid thing anyway.
Today, I did the typical Mingo loop, took me 3 hours. I am still about an hour short of where I need to be for the week. Last week, the exact same routine took me 10 hours flat. I did it 45 minutes faster this week, which is hopefully a testament to my increased fitness, but probably has a lot to do with the weather. To make up the time, tomorrow I will probably do some pushups and abs, and ride the bike a little as well.
As I write this, the Burning River 100 is in full swing. Best of luck to everyone running it, I think there are probably at least 5 or 6 people I know who are out there right now, slugging it out. Today was also supposed to be the day that I ran the Speedgoat 50k in Utah, but ultimately decided against. It was the right decision in the end for me to not go.
August is here tomorrow, this is going to be a critical month for my Wasatch training. I am already coming up with ideas to really kick it into high gear. By the time I get on that plane for Salt Lake City, I want there to be absolutely no doubt in my mind. I'm on my way, but I think August will provide that last little push I need mentally to clinch it for me.
On the baby prep front, I put two coats on the ceiling, painted the closet door, and bought, trimmed, and painted a new bedroom door. My wife is dragging her feet on choosing a color for the walls. That is actually fine with me. All I need to do is hang the two doors, paint the trim, and hopefully when I'm done with that, she still will not have made up her mind. If that is the case, I can jump back on the utility tub installation. Tonight we showed my wife's parents the DVD of the sonogram we had a couple weeks ago. They watched it 3 times (it's only 3 minutes long). It's so cute, you can see the little heart pumping, and see her swallowing the amniotic fluid, as well as a couple of hiccups! You can even see the spine, and the little feet. My wife's dad gave me the "fist bump."
Luckily I was able to procure another case of the coveted Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster. It is seasonal, you know, so I wanted to make sure I got some more before it went out of production. Did I really drink the rest of that case (as well as the remainder of the Dogfish Head???)? I suppose I did. Anyway, 3 Lake Erie Monsters later tonight, I am, as they say, "Crosseyed and Painless!"
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