Semper Gumbi (Always Flexible)

Well I'm not much of a morning runner and tend to run at night more often than not. But this week I had to be flexible and take another approach to get my miles. With work so busy the best scenario I came up with was two-a-days. This week I also start facilitating a bible study every wednesday night for 8 weeks so that adds another element to balance.

I decided to run to and from work Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next few weeks before my first short course, Wild Duluth. I live less than two miles from the Coon Rapids Dam and work in Brooklyn Park on Brooklyn Blvd and 169. I assumed work was about 12-13 miles one way via Rush Creek Trail through the Dam. I packed my day pack on Monday night with work clothes, Recoverite, and some paperwork. I woke up at 4:30 and was off by a little after 5. A quick .8 miles to the trail head and I was running by headlamp, crossing the Dam and on the Rush Creek Trail in 2.5 miles on the Brookly Park side. The trail heads westward and I think it kisses Champlin briefly before turning south towards Osseo and Maple Grove, between 169 and Jefferson Highway. A couple nailbiter intersections to traverse and I'm at work...it ended up being 11.5 miles exactly to my building. The run home was about 8 minutes faster and a couple pounds heavier sice I was carrying the sweat-soaked clothes and a wet towel from my morning run. Not bad. I also kept the max HR averaged at 75%, so I was happy with that. I weighed the pack when I returned home:14 pounds, plus I was carrying 20 ounces in each hand. No wonder my everything is sore today, especially the quads. I woke up feeling like I had powerlifted. A pack for 23 miles was a little much. I 've never ran with a pack for that long, and I was in the military.

New plan: I brought Thursday's work clothes and return-trip workout clothes to work today. The only thing I'm carrying Thursday is my water bottles, headlamp ,iPod and ID's. I'm going to feel like Speed Racer!

I'm not 100% sure what the value is in two-a-days except that I get some miles. It's the best I can do. 46 miles beside a tempo run I've yet to do (Friday) and my long run on Saturday. I could do much worse and it should be the highest mileage I've ever seen for a week, for what it's worth. I'm hoping to get to Murphy saturday (preferred) or Sunday but I'm not sure I'll make it there or if I'll hit the flatter single track course by my house. That would make for a boring 7 hour workout with virtually no elevation, but "you can't be a picky beggar".

Peanuts and yogurt for breakfast and garden-fresh tomatoes and some egg whites for lunch. Yummy!! My bastard cubicle neighbor is scarfing Lee-Ann (Double) Chin right now. Instead of jumping over the wall I think I will hit the fitness center for weight training....