Two today...

Because I did not log on to my computer this morning, I hit the streets earlier and had more time to run. It also helped that I woke up at 4:22 and hurried to get around. I love it when I wake up naturally and feel good. Alarm clocks are so annoying! A necessary evil.

I started out as I often do running west down School Street. I didn't really have a plan until I was about half way to Main Street. I knew I was going to be pushing the limits of my dying Garmin battery, so I wanted an easy to remember route. That's when I hatched the idea of an ever growing spiral.

I turned onto Main and ran down to Highway 54. I considered crossing the highway, but there was a car coming so I turned and headed back east. I turned again on Howard and headed north. I stopped briefly at the house for a pit stop, then continued on.

The next loop took in Larimer, Cherry, Jackson and Second. I think it was on this loop that I ran into a fellow runner. Not sure though. I said hi to them whenever it was that I saw them. They mumbled something in reply.

I'm not going to describe every loop. That would be too much. I'll just mention that I ran past the same spot where the aggressive dogs were the other day. It took a great deal of courage on this dogaphobe's part. I heard them bark, but they were tied up this time.

Later on, I met up with a walker out for their morning constitutional and at the very end of my run I encountered two runners with a dog. One of the runners (and the dog) were near neighbors. She asked about my 100-miler and how far I'd run today. I answered and she told me I could do it! It's nice to have encouragement at unexpected times. (garmin data)

Hours pass....

I got home from my daughters' volleyball matches around 8:00 this evening and found an empty house. I decided I needed a few more miles, so I changed clothes and headed out the door. My plan was to run out to the airport and back, a trip of between 8 and 10 miles depending on where I turned around.

I ran west on School Street to Main and headed north. I hit the city limits 12:35 into my run and continued on into the darkness. Few cars were out on the highway as I ran along. I was running quickly and felt great. I ran past 20th and 30th. Everything was clicking along. I ran on to 40th and turned around at the military jets and helicopter display in front of the airport. I'd been running right at 40 minutes.

I still felt good, so I did my best to pick up the pace a bit. I ran on and on back toward town. A few dogs barked at me as I ran past their houses. I ran past the John Deere dealership and reached the Kubuto dealership before my timer ticked over to an hour. I ran on reaching the city limits ahead of my pace going out. I had more than 12:35 to get back in less than 40 minutes.

I turned onto School and ran down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, I ran up behind a couple of high schoolers. I may have startled them a bit when I ran past them. I'm not sure. I ran on up the hill and around the curves to home, stopping the clock at 1:17:39. My return journey was faster than my outbound trek!

I must say it felt really good to run without stopping at a faster pace than I'd been running lately. I know this pace is too fast for my 100-miler, but an occasional faster run is nice. (no Garmin data)