McAlpine x 2

AM: 45 mins. (6 miles)
15 mins. core
PM: 45 mins. (6 miles)

It's not often that I get out to McAlpine twice in one day--sometimes I don't even make it out there twice in one week--but today the opportunity presented itself for several reasons. The first of those was, unfortunately, an unpleasant one: my stomach. Yes, my stomach has been topsy-turvy ever since Friday. And those of you who know me know I'm no stranger to running-related stomach ailments, but this weekend things have been much worse than usual. Maybe I have the Ebola virus or something. At any rate, I finally decided to cut my attempted 12-miler short halfway after my stomach just would not settle down. I felt especially bad because I was also inconveniencing Jordan, but he didn't seem to mind. We tabled the run and resolved to try again in the afternoon.

But first, the pool. Specifically, the JCC pool with Denise and Tyler and a few other friends. Shalom! We spent a few hours lounging and relaxing in the sun--maybe not the best recipe for a successful run later, but I figured even my best attempts to sabotage myself couldn't make things worse than they already were. Besides, the JCC is just off Providence near McAlpine, and Jordan caught word that Jay and Aaron were meeting at Old Bell around 4:30. It seemed like a good fit.

With Tyler in tow, we pulled up to Old Bell just a few minutes after Aaron. As it turned out, Jay was literally just arriving into town on a plane and was running a few minutes late, so we decided to go out and back for a few miles before picking him back up. It's a bit unorthodox for me to be at McAlpine on a Sunday afternoon (get it...Jew pool...orthodox...I crack myself up!), but slightly lower than usual humidity levels kept things quite tolerable. Even better, my stomach was inexplicably night and day from this morning. I was able to make it through the entire run without having to dart off into the woods somewhere--maybe I'm not setting the bar too high, but that's a win in my book! Oh, and the company and conversation was not too bad either. Despite a rocky start, I would say this turned into quite a pleasant Sunday. We thoroughly maximized our time outdoors and enjoyed some quality time with quality friends.