Challenge zzzzzzzz Days 5 and 6 zzzzzzzz

Boy, am I tired. Not necessarily my legs but my whole entire body.  Getting up before or at 5 am is wearing on this lady here. The good news is that my kids are home and don’t mind if I take a short power nap, which I’ve done once and plan to do here in about an hour. Twenty minutes of sleep can recharge my batteries for the rest of the day.  It’s crazy.

The last time I wrote, I was having issues with my triangle toes.  That night, I popped a small blister on each one, slathered it with Vaseline, and went to bed. The next morning, it already felt better, so I slathered it again and put a band aid around it before the run.  I can officially say that I’m a Vaseline fan and my toes feel great! That ten miles went well, and I felt like I had a lot of energy.  I don’t always get why some runs are better than others when everything else seems to be static, but it was good. Maybe it was the company? I don’t know, but I’ve had running friends the past two days, and just having someone to talk to seems to make a world of difference in how my brain perceives about an hour and forty-five minutes of running. I have friends lined up again for day seven, and I’m working on day eight.

My paces are somewhere in the 9’s for the most part. Some are faster and some are slower. I never turn my app off, even if I’m stopped for a few minutes to drink some water or take pictures, so the average time shows slower than what it really is. Not that it really matters. But it sort of does, but it doesn’t. If you know what I mean.

On Day 5, we headed out from UNCW and ended up on the bridge to Wrightsville Beach before we had to turn around and go back.

Day 5!!! Half way there.

Yesterday, I was a bottomless pit and never really felt full. I drank. I ate. I drank more. I ate more. I’m “finicky” when it comes to fruits and veggies, which is a huge pain in the ass and not really by choice (it would be SO much easier to eat if I liked more things). In order to get a lot of my fruits and veggies like a good, healthy athlete should, I drink a lot of them. The store didn’t have my usual veggie mix, so I tried something different. I found out I can actually block my smell sense so I could get this stuff down. Then of course, after you swallow, you have to breathe and get the punch from this stuff. Yeah, I won’t be getting this particular one again.

This morning, I was lucky to run with my friend who I did many long runs with in preparation for Boston. The time flew by and she made sure we were well hydrated. She even surprised me with a donation for my cause!! (www.bar2barbara.com) It was mostly a new route for me, and I really enjoyed seeing something different! My legs still feel really good!  It’s hard to believe after 60 miles in 6 days, they aren’t feeling like lead. My friend reminded me to ice, which I had literally FORGOTTEN (?!?!) to do until yesterday afternoon. We finished our run in good time and again, I was so thankful to be able to catch up with her and have someone to chat with!  Running buddies ROCK.

Day SIX!!! Over half way to the big goal!

I normally take a picture of a view along the way, and totally forgot this morning.  When I get home, I am usually met with a neighborhood stray cat who comes over for food and attention. He is adorable and we call him Big Puff. So this is today’s view picture. By the way, he is neutered so he can’t create any Little Puffs.

Big Puff

I’ve been eating an English muffin or toast with two eggs, cheese, and spinach for breakfast every morning, and today was no different except for the spinach. I finished what I had yesterday.

After that, I knew I needed to get these legs cooled down, so I sat and read the paper with my legs under an ice pack or frozen towels. I’m thinking I need to get a few more ice packs.

Tended by Nurse Goldie

I’m 6/10 in my 10×10 challenge. I feel good. I know I’m doing this for a good cause, but I also know I’m doing it to prove it to myself that I CAN do it. It’s a win/win. It’s not what I thought it would be when I started either. It’s so much more complex than that. I’m already glad I started, and I know I’ll be glad when Tuesday morning rolls around and I can say that I finished this challenge. I’m also ready to get back to triathlon training 🙂

So, some of you know that I’m helping my cousin raise money to find a cure for Huntington’s Disease. Please watch this video and you can see her, her passion, and her nutty friends in person getting interviewed and carrying out dares ON AIR! She also describes what Huntington’s really is…. a terrible combination of Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis all wrapped into one. So that’s why I’m helping her raise money. But seriously, this is funny, especially her friend who just starts brushing her teeth and uses some “special” tooth paste!! Haha!

Has anyone else done a running challenge before? A streak? What was it and how did it go?