Week in Review

90 miles
2 doubles
2 days in DC
15 mile long run
5 AFDs

My second 90-mile week is in the books, and I'm surprisingly no worse for the wear. That's not to say I enjoyed every minute of it, but I'm certainly growing stronger and more confident with every passing day. It's nice to head out the door for a 12-mile run and not think much of it. Though the weather is oppressive, I honestly don't think about it at all except during workouts. On every other day it's just a fact of life, something that doesn't even factor into my consciousness. To constantly dwell on it would be a pointless waste of mental energy.

That said, the weather conditions I'm about to encounter will surely make North Carolina seem tame in comparison. I fly to Texas tomorrow afternoon to spend four days in Dallas and Austin before returning home late Thursday night. My mileage will likely suffer, due more to the travel and work obligations than the weather, and I'm hoping against hope that I'll return home feeling fresh and light for Saturday night's Beat the Heat as opposed to heat-addled and exhausted. We'll see.

Without question, the best part of the past few weeks' running has been exploring some new and/or rarely visited routes. Since the beginning of July I've logged some single-track miles within a relative stone's throw of my front door (Renaissance Park on Tyvola, a 10-minute drive, and Anne Springs Close in Fort Mill, just a few miles across the SC border), as well as a few solid outings in my hands-down favorite urban running setting, Washington DC. Anytime you can cover Capitol Hill, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, Teddy Roosevelt's Island, Georgetown, the C&O Canal towpath and the Mt. Vernon Trail on foot is a win in my book (as is any route traversed with the incomparable hostess Ms. Jilane Rodgers). I may not be able to afford to permanently reside in the District, but I'll gladly take any opportunity to visit on behalf of Craft and Karhu.

Other notables for the week? A much-needed massage from Byran, a bitchin 4th of July BBQ (if passing out on the living room floor at 7pm isn't patriotic, then Jordan isn't a true American), storm chasing down I-85 and a narrowly missed copperhead blitzkrieg on the Davidson trails today (after which Allen may or may not have screamed like a little girl with little pigtails, despite the fact that I was apparently the one who narrowly escaped death). All in all, not much more a gal can ask for in a week's worth of training.