Steve Cullen Healthy Heart 8k, February 12, 2011

8k is 4.97 miles. It's very funny, they put a 5 mile marker just a few steps past the finish so you can do a "five miler."

This was a great run. It's put on by the Badgerland Striders. While warming up, I met a nice lady from Shorewood who beautifully summed up the atmosphere at a Striders event: "the normal people run here, not the high tech really fast people at the RACC races."

She was right. All kinds of people, not a lot of competition. Mostly just a good excuse to drink beer and eat chili at the end.

Again it was unseasonably warm, about 36 degrees. I wore tights, a singlet and a long sleeve shirt over it, and Injinjis and the Brooks Wondershoes, and wished I hadn't worn the singlet about a mile in. My first and last miles were slow (18 and 19, respectively, the first because I got stuck behind some people and was horsing around with my mp3 player, the last because I was tired and it was uphill), but miles 2-4 were at a nice 13-14 minute/mile pace. Sweetness came back to find me (he finished in less than 50, that speed demon) and finished with me.

I was the last official finisher, but there were three unofficial behind me. Not that it matters. The lady who finished right before me was a walk-runner too, and very nice. I'm sure I'll see her around at other events.

After, Sweetness treated me to coffee and a seven layer bar. OOOoooh, I hadn't had one of those in years. Yum.

And then, I went home and registered for the half marathon in Kenosha in May. Y'know, just to keep myself moving.

February Is Freeze Yer Buns Off Month

Apparently. It's so cold my nose hairs freeze when I walk outside. Brrrr.

Sweetness tells me that the weather forecast for our 8K on Saturday is 34 and sunny. Dang, I hope so!

Also up for the weekend: Candlelight snowshoeing at Pike Lake State Park, followed by what I am almost certain will be an embarrassment of marginally nutritive food eaten. But hey, I eat all my Weight Watcher points, snowshoeing for 2 hours earns me more than I can usually eat in a day . . AND I lose a pound to a pound and a half per week. So there.

A couple of non-scale victories: new undergarments in a smaller band and cup size, and new running jackets, size large (down from XXL just a few short years ago). My "skinny" jeans are getting loose. Buying "all new" is not my forte, I just don't like dropping a huge bunch of cash all at once, but Sweetness says it's all good, and my trip to the outlet mall with my bestie helped.

Speaking of my bestie, her birthday's tomorrow, and I have to get her present. Peace out.