"Train"ing Run and other stuff

Signing up for 11.3 miles at today's "Train"ing Run may not have been the smartest idea, given the fact that the last time I ran more than 5 miles was 3 weeks ago, and that's when I injured my foot. But I'd had 4 painless runs this week (instead of keeping my runs to 4 days a week according to this post, I felt like I had to keep testing my feet to see if they were really painless, so I ran 5 miles on Thursday and 3 miles on Friday, bringing the total to 5 days this week). Besides, this was a non-competitive event, and I could always drop off "the train".

The entire towpath is 34.1 miles and 2 runners were actually running the entire distance twice, once in each direction, starting at 10 pm Friday night. 68.2 miles!

Saturday morning, I took the bus at Johnson Park with a few others to Amwell Road Station and waited for the rest of the "train" to join us from the other stations. I started at 9:08 am and joined the 9:30 pace group, not wanting to push myself; I got to run with a few others and we ambled along slowly, talking about everything under the sun. The emphasis was more on having fun. The goal was for everyone to reach the park at the same time, at 11 am. Everyone ended up doing their own thing, though, and I fell back with a few others toward the end, reaching a little after 11 (the important thing is, my feet did not hurt at all. Yay!). The picnic was fun; I met a lot of new people and felt lucky to be part of this diverse group. When the picnic was in full swing, with the delicious smell of burgers and sausages in the air, the 68-mile runners arrived, and we all gave them a rousing applause. They had run through the night (it was pouring for most of the night) and were finally home. The event was very well-organized and we all had a blast.

Later, taking advantage of the lovely weather, DH and I played volleyball with a few friends. It has been ages since I've played volleyball and we left with reddish, swollen and sore arms. Our friends stayed for dinner and I cooked up french onion soup (with vegetable broth, instead of beef broth) and 3-bean stew, a modified version of hearty 4-bean stew.

Simple fare, but deserves mention, considering how long it's been since I've flaunted my culinary creations.

Thankfully, the pleasant weather lasted through the weekend, so I went for a little swim at the community pool this afternoon (I've been spoiled by the heated pool at the gym and the cold water sent a shiver through me...but it was so much better to be gazing at the sky, trees and birds as opposed to the blank white ceiling), then sat out on the patio till dark, with my book Fires in the Dark (spectacular read, by the way; I will post a review as soon as I can get to it). It's going to be another rainy week, but I'll gladly take it, as long as I get a few more beautiful, sunny weekends like this.

Have a great week!