So there I was, doing my longest run to date...

Last night (Friday) was my weekly long run as I ramp up for the Marine Corps Marathon. It was 16 miles and it took me 2 hours and 45 minutes. It was slow. I know it was. I took Brick out for the first 6 miles, a loop through the university and around two local city parks. It was warm, I had worked all day and it was nice to be out with Bricko who cracks me up when he runs.
He keeps his head up high watching for birds and squirrels and he doesn't really bend his back knees but circumducts his legs. I can almost here the phrase, doh da doh. He's so cute!


Anywho, we were just coming through Memorial Park running up Dodge Street getting ready to cross when about 15 guys painted completely head to toe in blue paint surrounded us. There was one guy in a mascot costume waving a flag that I couldn't read. The rest of the guys were shirtless, with boxers or running shorts on. All painted blue. It was Friday night about 6:00 and they were headed towards the University of Nebraska Omaha football field. I couldn't tell how old they were but they were screaming and yelling. They waited briefly at the light and then jumped out into traffic. P.S. Dodge Street is the main drag that divides Omaha into north and south and at 6 pm it is way busy, all 5 lanes. The light finally changed just in time and Brick and I ran around them as they were screwing around in the street. Then I heard, "dude, keep up with the dog, keep up with the dog". Great, now Brick was leading the way, with a blue nose, as he had wiped it against someones leg on the way by, followed by me attached to the other end of his leash, followed by 15 bright blue boys. They finally turned off after they couldn't keep up with Brick and I and we finished our six miles and I dropped him off at home. I found out later that they were Creighton Prep kids. It was the first game of the season. I had forgotten that UNO was their home field.

I picked up Kona and she and I were off after a couple of gulps of water and half a bag of fruit punch sport beans. She is a little trooper. I had only planned to take her for 6 or 8 miles and then finish it off alone but we were out on the trail and I decided to just finish. She did get a little tired but when she started to slow I would walk with her and then she was ready to go again. Kona and I ended up doing 10 miles. We ran out on the local, flat, paved, bike trail. Kona did great. We didn't have water with us but we stopped on the way home at a fountain and I lifted her up to drink. We finished just as the sun was dropping behind the horizon.

Brick and Kona had a little dinner while I walked to the gas station to get two bags of ice. I was sweaty with wild hair flying out of my visor, and pink cheeks. I paid for my ice and as I was headed back out the doors, some guy in his mid 40s was sitting in a baby blue Jeep Wrangler with the top off. You could tell that in his prime, girls had flocked to him and I had heard him tell one of the gas station attendants when I arrived that he was working on buying some land in Mexico so he could build a house and retire there. Yeah, right. Anyway, he saw me come out and said, "where's the party?"
"No party," I replied.
"What's with the ice then?" he said. (What a dork.)
"I'm going to sit in it."
He asked me what I was training for, I told him some endurance events coming up. He said, "I did a half marathon once."
Great. Good to know. He asked if I had done that and I said yes, he asked if I had done a full marathon and I said, "that's the plan for October". He asked what other races I had done. (Trying WAY too hard.) I told him I liked triathlon as I was backing away. As I turned around, I heard him whistle under his breath and say to the gas station lady, "now that's bad ass." I just had to smile. People are so easily impressed. If he knew how much harder it is to get into the ice bath than go for the run, or how much my feet and legs were aching, or how anyone could do it if they just start with walking around the block... well you get the point.

I got home, poured the ice in the tub. Climbed in and iced down. I really, really love that despite those first 2 agonizing minutes before things go numb. Kona managed to fall in, which was a little on the cold side when the water splashed up.




And then we all ate and rested.