11k for 11/11/11 and Veteran's Day

First, I just want to say thank you to all our service men and women, past, present, and future. We wouldn't be able to live our lives and be who we want to be without your sacrifice and the sacrifice and support of your family and friends. I have family and friends in just about every branch of service and I am proud and honored to know/be related to them! I wish I could hug every single one of them today and say "thank you".

Originally, I had planned on running/walking 11 miles today to celebrate 11/11/11 but I was kind of regretting it last night as I thought about it. I've never run more than 7 miles ... ever ... Jess offered me an "out" when she mentioned on facebook that she was going to run a 11k. Woo Hoo! Why didn't I think of that? Sheesh. lol. Anyway, I knew I'd have to run it either at Oak Openings or on the Towpath Trail so I didn't get bored too easily. I settled on Oak Openings since it's closer to home, I'm never more than a couple miles from my car or a bathroom (important on long runs, I'm learning), and I just really enjoy my run-ins with OO's wildlife. lol.

So, here's the mechanics. I'll address the rest in a hot minute:

Milage: Avg. Pace
Mile 1: 12:03
Mile 2: 12:22
Mile 3: 11:52 ... This part of the trail is paved and pretty straight. It showed. Lol.
Mile 4: 16:21 ... I walked this mile.
Mile 5: 12:38 ... This is REAL trail. Unpaved. Uneven. Dodging tree roots.
Mile 6: 12:34 ... Still mostly REAL trail.
0.83: 12:09

I had my iPod playing while I was running. I figured I'd need it to keep me distracted from the distance and any aches or pains. It did help me re-focus a couple times but I spent a LOT of time thinking about my grandparents. Both of my grandfathers were deployed with the army during Korea (Gpa C to Korea as a soldier, Gpa K to Germany as an electronics/communication tec) and my grandmother (dad's mom) worked in the armory/surplus here in Ohio while waiting for my grandfather to come home. I thought about my great-grandmother (dad's dad's mom) too. I can't imagine what she thought and went through in all the time she lived. All of them, really. I am so proud to be their granddaughter and I miss them every day. Every day I wonder what they'd think of something or if they would have given me specific advice on something. Any time my dad lectures me about something, I feel like I can hear his parents laughing and talking over him telling me to not take it to heart because he did even worse when he was my age. I'm not going to lie, I got a little emotional a couple times while running.

Ok, I'm getting off that before I start crying again. I DID get to see some wildlife while I was running (besides peoples' adorable/ hilarious dogs). I saw my deer buddy again in almost the exact same place as the other day. Again, she was sitting JUST off the trail and just stared as I ran by. I looked back and saw her take off like she was spooked when the next person went by her (running the other direction). I wonder if she recognizes me? If she is one of the 2 young ones I saw at the beginning of the summer, I've seen her pretty much every week for several months now. I know there are a TON of deer around Oak Openings, but I'm pretty observant of their individual markings (especially as their spots faded).

And the other reason I chose Oak Openings for my run ... bathrooms. For most people, this is going to be a bit TMI, but I think SUAR would approve of this topic. I usually refuse to run outside unless I've already gone #2 that day. I'm not the only one whose insides "shake loose" while running, right? Well, #2 didn't happen this morning, so I was nervous about running where there weren't bathrooms. About 3 miles into the run, my body decided it had to release SOMETHING. I wasn't sure WHAT, but remembering the numerous pictures of runners $#!@ing themselves made me cautious. Luckily it was just a fart (*offers a prayer of thanks*). Pretty much as soon as I got home, though, I was sprinting for the bathroom. Finally. I'm actually amazed I ran that much with that sitting in my system. Sheesh. Maybe doctors should prescribe running as a laxative? Strangely, my GI has still felt stressed the rest of the day. Not quite sure what THAT's about. Hrm. Oh well. Here's hoping I'll be back to normal by tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Veteran's Day. And good luck to everyone racing this weekend! Hopefully I'll remember to talk about my racing plans for this winter next time I write.