Inside, outside... you know... just a usual day of training

Happy almost-three-day-weekend Monday! I have a tickle in my throat today that I hope to nip in the bud before it takes me down again for a three day weekend. Bring on the tea, baby! (but note to self- - don't drink so fast that you burn your tongue. Yup. Lesson learned the hard way)

I hope you all had a sanguine weekend full of exhilarating runs. I ran too alright.... though it was much more memorable and enventful than I could have ever asked for.

Let's rewind: Friday it rained all day, finally cleared up in the evening. Sat morning wake up to clouds, but since I "only had a two hour run", decided I have enough time to finish before it started raining. I quickly eat waffles (mmmmm!!!!) get all geared up, and head out the door.

1 mile in. So far so good.
2.5 miles in. Oh CRAP. I feel a raindrop on my head.
2.6 miles in. OH SH!T. I def feel raindrops. Maybe I can run fast enough to beat the raindrops? Is that even possible? Yeah. It is. I am a fast running machine...!
2.8 miles in. OK. Drizzling now. Keep my fingers crossed that it remains a mere drizzle.
2.99-3 miles: HOLY MOLY!!!!!! Torrential Downpour! I mean, like the sky is just dumping rain. Oh crap. There is no way I'm running 10 more miles in this shit.

I run to the closest shelter I could find: an awning over an apartment complex. I strike up a conversation with the elderly gentlewoman also sheltering there. She is sniffing sage. Yup. Totally normal.

Sky is literally p!ssing rain. I try to call James to come pick me up.
Um..... right. of course today will be the day my phone decides to break. Great. I give it a good whack (yes, that is the technical term for "curing" all electronic ailments) and manage to make one phone call to James "come rescue me!"

Sage sniffing lady keeps me company, James picks me up, we drop off said sage-sniffing-lady off at her house, (yes, we are good Samaritans), James drops me off at my house, and I decide to finish off my run on the treadmill. Then remember my ipod is at James' house. Crap. Drive over to James', he's not home. Crap. Sit like a deranged stalker in my car outside his house in the storm. Grab my ipod when James comes home. Head to the gym finally.

I am wearing my Runner's HI singlet and CW-X tights, holding my Nathan Hand held bottle, and running on the treadmill.

Yup I know I look like a complete doofus. It's OK.

Mile 3 on the treadmill: All my profuse sweating causes a blockage in my headphones and my left ear piece dies. Oh great. Now I have only one ear for music.
Mile 4.5: Crap. I can't take it anymore. Remove headphones.
Mile 5.5: time for a break and some Sport Beans. People look at me like, "you just ran. Why are you eating candy now?
Mile 5.5-10: somehow I got my headphones to start working again. Thank goodness. Just get this thing over with already!!!!!!
I ran 10 whole miles on the treadmill. Obliterated my previous 'mill record by a whole 4 miles.

As I finish my workout, a guy asks me "So you're a runner, huh? How many miles did you run?"
Me: "13"
Guy: "Oh you poor thing!"

Crap. I must have looked like a tortured, wretched little soul on that rotational contraption of death (aka treadmill)

Go home take a shower. Look out the window. It's Sunny.
No, it didn't just stop raining. It's f*cking SUNNY like birds chirping everywhere and deer and rabbits and squirrels are frolicking in the fricking park sunny. WTF. So I go for a walk. Naturally.

But you know. Just another day of training I guess. :)

So clearly, by Sunday, you had no way of telling it had ever rained. It was sunny and gorgeous and beautiful. Perfect day for a bike ride, no?

I slathered Body Glide and Vaseline on my inner thighs like there's no tomorrow. Put on my non-cyclist's cycling outfit, (cycling shorts are on the way!) and head out the door.

Told ya it was gorgeous out :)

It was a great day to be out.... except for the wind! I thought running in windy conditions were hard.... but it's nothing compared to cycling in the wind!
At one point, the wind was gushing up the hill that I was descending. The wind was so strong, I had to actually pedal quite hard to make it down the hill. Crazy!
At another point, the wind was so strong, I honestly thought I was going to topple. I had to turn the corner and kind of "wait out the wind". Gnarly, my friends.

I even made it down a steep hill I've been too pusillanimous to attempt, and rode further than I've ever gone. Soooo much fun!

I even got a cat call from a car driving by. It must have been because I looked very irresistible -->

Yup.

Must be.

Overall, it was a great ride. I wanted to go further, but decided my girly parts had enough of a beating for the day. :)

I really like these red flowers :)

Lemon groves. Would you believe it was storming less than 24 hours ago?

Country road... take me home... to the place... where I belong!!!!....

My "cycling gloves" aka fleece gloves from the dollar store

I just realized this had been a super rambling, incoherent kind of post. Must be all the germs my body is trying to fight...again! grrr. All I care is that it's better by this weekend's 20 miler, because LA Marathon is coming up fast!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! :)

What's the longest you've run on the treadmill?