It's the first Saturday in weeks that I ran just for fun. Well. . .half of my six miles was fun. The first half, on the way to the "Plantation at Coote's Store" was 23 degrees and cold. Mind you the "Plantation at Coote's store" is not an actual place; it's my nickname for my kids' home out in what formerly was called Coote's store, a name they'd like to see restored. And "the plantation" is their homeplace, with enough land for a woods, and a hobby farm and organic gardening.
As I left my apartment though, the flag across the street was swaying in the breeze, and trees blocked most of the sun. At the plantation (3-mile point) I fed Azul her breakfast; fed Frannie and cleaned her litter tray; and pushed, prodded and pulled Peanut Butter into a grassier grazing spot and re-tied him. When I headed back down Brock's Gap for home, the sun was warming the pavement, providing heat from above and below. I found my happy spot and lumbered back home at an 11-minute mile pace.
It was good to run just for fun again, though I was mighty hungry by the time I got home. Two cups of coffee and an energy bar at 7 a.m. just wasn't enough for my 9 a.m. exploits.
And that reminded me of lessons I learned from the last couple races. Running races (or running hard) in Virginia-cold still demands sports drink in order for me to run well, even if the race is just a 5K. Though I am obviously less in danger of dehydration, I find I need the sports drink for the calories and the energy; otherwise my legs melt into jelly. I drink half as much (8 ounces instead of 16), but still find I need it. And pumping my arms wider and higher makes the hills easier to climb.
Two lessons learned. They say that life-long learning helps keep Alzheimer's and senile dementia at bay longer. So I guess I'm two lessons farther from senile dementia (Alzheimer's doesn't run in my family). Now it's time for the other race I'm running -- studying for the paralegal certification exam next weekend.
4 comments:
I drink just as much water after a "wintery" run as in the "summer". I'm thinking the layers of clothing still bring about just as much sweat :-)
Where is the "Plantation at Cootes Store"? I'm familiar with that area, but cant think off hand where that is.
It's not an actual place; that's why you're perplexed. It's my nickname for my daughter's home on Brock's Gap in what used to be called Coote's Store (near the garage there), a hobby farm & organic garden with a sheep, dog and cat. The kids want the name Coote's Store restored because of its historic significance.
Aww, okay, well I agree it should be restored. That's a very historical place. Thanks for explaining. LOL. I was confused. And my husband's family who is from there....had no clue either. LOL
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