The Weekend of Stink

Many people choose to relax over a weekend.


I am not one of those people. 


Cooped up inside all day, admittedly at a job that I love but inside none the less, I seek every opportunity to get out in the sunshine and MOVE! 


And boy have we got sunshine. 


Saturday I woke up dark and early, per ush, and got in my long run.  All. By. Myself.  Oh, it was dreadfully lonesome.  Sad even.  Poor little ole Pink Girl, running 14 miles all by her self.  (Dear Cru, are you crying for me yet? Someone register for something quickly!) Apparently normal people don't like to train in this heat.  Eh, so I'm not normal, that's not news.  I hurried to get my miles in because I had plans to meet someone in McKinney later in the morning. 


Now, you must understand how excited I was about this.  I usually try not to go any further North than I already am.  McKinney is about 30 minutes from here according to Gretchen and Google.  It took me 15 I was so eager to get there!  I know Gretchen from Twitter and blogging and friends of friends.  So when she offered to ride with me I jumped at the chance! 

Gretchen and Newman.  Because he has a US Postal Service logo on him.

Gretchen was so patient with me, kept at my snail's pace and answered all of my many, many questions.  We had planned for 40 miles but missed a turn somewhere along the way and ended up with only 30.  That didn't bother either of us much as it was reading 107 while we were out there. Summer. Sigh. 

We stopped at this church for some shade and I couldn't resist this sign! 

On the way back we descended on a gas station where we consumed, what we decided, was quite possibly the best coke we've ever had.  It might have been all the ice and sugar, but whatever it was, it was welcome.  Dang it gets hot here!  I don't mean to complain but I think we are all ready for a little relief.  Maybe an overcast day?  One?  Maybe?

No falls so I call that a success.  Even though I almost ran over a giant, stinky, dead armadillo.  I couldn't call it out fast enough so I just yelled, "Dead!"  Blech. 

I rounded out the afternoon with some hot yoga to stretch out the day's activity.  And then I went to bed early.  Like early early.  As in, the time started with an 8. 

So that I could get up early, like early early, to drive out to Lake Grapveine to meet the B&B group for a trail run before daylight.  I've not done a whole lot of trail running but I know that it is excellent cross training for me.  So I made the 45 minute drive West.  It was totally worth it!  I got to see some friends and meet some new peeps.  Peeps that are dangerous to know.  Remember how your momma always told you not to hang out with the "wrong crowd?"  Well, this isn't exactly the wrong crowd as they are all great people.  But they start talking about their upcoming 50 milers and 100 milers and I start thinking, hmm.  Back to back marathons?  Hmm.

Trail running is so much slower, you really gotta watch your step.  I tripped once on a root going uphill, but thankfully didn't eat dirt.  No falls again!  I feel like a toddler measuring my daily progress in terms how how many times I did or didn't fall! 

Towards the end we got pretty spread out and Tini and I were out front keeping a 10:30 pace which was a welcome change.  It felt wonderful to go so "fast!"  We covered 9 miles in just under 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours for only 9 miles.  This was a moderately technical trail so I was pleased.  It's good trail practice if nothing else. 

And dirty.  It's dirty.

Very dirty.  No, my feet aren't that white, my legs are just that filthy.  And yes, I did go to breakfast like this.  In public.  It wasn't the first or last time this weekend that I headed out entirely gross.

We sat out on the harbor and enjoyed breakfast overlooking the lake.  What a great start to the day!

More yoga and a good nap later, I headed back to White Rock to circle the lake a few times.  I was rewarded with this view.  I'm tellin' ya, the lake is the place to be for sunrise and sunset.  Simply gorgeous that whole nature thing.

On the way home my tummy realized that I hadn't eaten since breakfast and staged a revolt; pizza was the demand.  So I stopped my stinky self, complete with salt stains on my @ss at the grocery store to get pizza to feed this monster. 

And I ate the whole thing.  What?  You don't eat pizza with green chiles and chocolate milk?  Oh, don't knock it till you've tried it. 

How was your weekend?