Travel advice from my boss.  Anyway . . .

I'm still downloading Germany pictures to finish my vacation entry has to wait a bit.  Getting back into the swing of things, here's my jog blog for last week which will probably interest nobody in particular.

Monday-ish.  Or Sunday-ish 
I can't remember.  Anyway, it was freakin' hot to do intervals.  I apparently brought it with me, oh, haha.  Meanwhile, I heard Louisville had mild weather a few days last week so my group can suck it if they think that's evidence I'm a harbinger of humidity.  It was at least 80 something.  What the hell, this country uses a crazy measurement system based on, get this, 10's and shit.  The weather outside was about 30 and my shower water temperature was 38. That's cold!  30 is way less than 85.  Can't tell you the temperature of the bidet water but whoooooooooo!  I highly recommend it for every bathroom in America. 

Anyway, Chris wanted to come along, riding beside me on a bicycle.  PRESSURE!!!  What the hell?  It would be one thing if he actually ran them with me and did a little "Spanked you on those" dance but cycling?  There are no pictures of this, thank goodness.  I am not a graceful runner nor do I give good game face especially that close to nausea.

There weren't really good roads to do this but I didn't know where I was going so I needed a guide.  Cycling company it is.

5x400 intervals w/400 recovery, goal 2:05-2:10

2:01 - Too fast
2:03 - Too fast again.  I knew I'd run out of steam soon.
2:08 - OK.  Please please please please stay consistent next one?
2:17 - FAIL.  Oh, mother of fuck.  FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL.
2:09 - OK.

"One more.  You should do one more."
"What?  No.  I'm done.  Puke threshhold?  I'm there.  I'm done.  People do five.  Five is a good number."
"That's it?"
"You suck.  I hate you.  I donwanna." 
". . . I'm just jok-"
"I'll do it.  Can I pre-throw up?  One more.  This is gonna suck.  Fine.  FINE!!!!"

6th 400 interval after thinking about it too long.
1st attempt - BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD, hamstring started cramping and I cut it short at a minute.  LET'S GO HOME!!!

After moping for a bit, I actually wanted to try it again.  This is the stupidity/masochism gene I talk about every now and then.  Besides, I was over halfway done and only a minute passed. 

2nd attempt - 2:03 GOOD - too fast and I almost threw up. 

Looking back on the entire run, I'll consider it a win.  The majority of this was on gravel and the 2:17 included a sharp right turn I had to swing wide to manage and a slight incline.  I just wanted to give a good show to my host and instead subjected him to a plague of tics and neuroticism. 

Slogged one mile to his home and that was it.  5 miles total.  Shower, stretch, dinner, movies, rest. 

Wednesday late morning

I was aiming for a short run, just 3 miles, 2 at marathon pace.  What I ended up with was a 5 mile run because I went too far out.  I ran only 4 of them and walked a good portion of the 5th.  I was eaten alive by various bugs.  I'm still scratching them today.  And Chris was on the bike again.  I felt bad for having run out of steam and him having to walk the bike.  Not so bad when we had to stop so I could booty jam to Mos Def and Ludacris.  I don't think the horses were watching.  Anyway, I think at this point, Chris is used to me starting runs with the words "This might suck."  Way to pep talk myself!  I even start races with "I'm gonna kick ass but this is gonna suck." 

The most paranoid moment of "Oh, fuck, he's watching me do this thing I love to do but I suck at it" was when he asked if I had a strategy for breathing.  Actually, I did.  Pretty much every other stride after warm-up.  Nose or mouth?  I couldn't breathe through my nose at that point.  My nose was running faster than my legs at that point from the cottony pollen and various grasses.  Not that it's an excuse.  Excuses would be the lack of sleep, the copious amounts beer from the prior evening, not eating breakfast and the heat.  Yep.  Those are my excuses.

Friday
TMI TMI TMI WARNING:  I was going to do my long run Friday morning but I delayed it due to soreness.  I needed an ice pack.  This is also Chris's fault since he has the sexual endurance of a work horse.  Probably because he bikes.  Fucker.

I think it was also Friday I got a letter from Brooks shoes saying I was selected to try out their Adrenaline GTS 10's (I currently wear the 8's and the 9's came out this Spring).  I'll be required to run in them weekly for at least 25 miles and take 3 surveys.  They may want to examine the wear and tear of the soles so I could need to send them back.  Fingers crossed I'll get to keep the shoes.  Either way, yay!

Saturday
Independence Day and I started it off with 10 miles.  Slow.  It was so humid, I took half the gravel home in the treads of my shoes.  Chris was still sleeping so I spared him.  I still was not accustomed to the sun shining so brightly before 6 am but I took advantage of the cool air.  I did my best not to get lost or set off any emergency alarms or wander off to another country without my passport:  1hr 50min slow with a 10-1 run-walk split.  My ankles were bitten and I don't know by what but these bites are worse than the others.  

I was hoping Saturday would be buzzing with runners and exercisers like it is where I live but no.  Only cyclists.  Many, many groups of racing cyclists besides the usual commuters.  I saw more than a handful of girls in bikinis on bikes.  I saw a hunk riding a bike and moving two extra bikes strapped together beside him.  Not a single runner that Saturday and the whole week, I'd only seen two others who ran together.  This was the countryside.  I saw zero runners in the city of Cologne but again, many racing cyclists.

I was wiped the rest of the afternoon and fully embraced the term "couch potato".  I HAD MY PANCAKES!!!  Actually thought about an international pancake tweetup for Tim but the computer there was slow in loading everything.  Besides, apparently nothing was going on in America except Michael Jackson mourning according to International CNN television broadcasts, the only English speaking station the household received. 

I'd heard there was another American in the village but wasn't sure what family was hosting him.  I'd kind of wanted to bond over a beer and blow up food with firecrackers, just like home!

In bed around midnight . . .

"Hey, do you hear fireworks?"
"Mmmphabwah?"
"Exactly."
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz