Of course I ran today. Because of the summer run streak. Because it’s a Sunday and long runs happen on Sundays. Because I had pizza last night. Because the Chicago RNR Half Marathon is 5 weeks away.
Long run fuel – pizza and beer.
But most importantly because it’s Dad’s day and running is something we have done together (and apart) for more than 13 years now (whoa, that’s a long time!) Our running relationship has evolved over time and I’d say currently rests in a spirit of healthy and supportive competition (who has run the most half marathons? Dad. who has the fastest 5k time? Me. who has run the most days in a row? Me. who has the fastest half marathon time? Dad. who has the most miles for the year? Too close to tell.) We’re constantly sharing stories of mishaps, personal bests and worsts (both of us recently in the 5k and half), accidents and new training plans. We don’t always have the same training approach but we do love being out there.
After enjoying a Saturday night of family pizza at Greek’s Pizzeria in downtown Zionsville followed by a screening of The Avengers, we woke up with plans to run 8 miles on the Monon Trail.
Superheroes
The Monon is kind of like Indy’s version of the Memphis Greenline (or maybe the Greenline is Memphis’ version of the Monon). I hope someday that the Greenline is as fantastic as the trail here. It’s 16.7 miles long and connects downtown Indianapolis to several smaller towns north of the city (Broadripple, Carmel and Westfield). There are bathrooms, parking lots, water fountains and shops throughout the length of the trail (something I hope happens eventually in Memphis).
Part of the Monon
The actual trail continues 6.7 miles further north than shown in the map above. We started at 96th Street and ran south into Broadripple for 4 miles.
Run 110/165
Location: Monon Trail – 96th street to 56th street
Distance: 8 miles
Time:
Weather Notes: Low 70s, moderate humidity (I wasn’t too uncomfortable – Dad was soaked by the end)
Other Notes: I’m still working on my fast-out-of-the-gates problem so Dad helped to “slow my roll” at the beginning. We started around 9:30 and slowly moved up in pace to 8:30 over the 8 miles. I’m glad he did, we were able to push the last mile a little bit and I would rather feel like I have a push at the end than like I’m crawling to the finish line. We swapped stories on what music we were listening to (Dad: Jimmy Buffet first, followed by the Eagles. Jess: Mix of chart-toppers and country – duh, good “bouncey” music and long haul music) and what we think about when we run (Dad: the music, calculating pace and miles, work, the kiddos, photography. Me: my lactate threshold, VO2 max, why the same intensity feels harder by the end of the run, respiratory rate if you can’t tell, my summer classes are messing with my ability to zone-out on runs my music, Austin, Memphis and second-guessing big decisions).
Day 21
We enjoyed Mochas from Starbucks on the back deck after the run. I feel great after that 8-miler. I can’t remember the last time I ran that far without a break in between and it felt pretty good!
Father’s Day Froyo
We are all about treats on special holidays and so of course a trip for frozen yogurt happened this afternoon. I’ve been working on school work and my Chicago race plan for most of the afternoon while dad and Nathan went golfing. Mom even got in on the exercise and went for a walk and weights at LA Fitness! We were all feeling like we deserved some cold froyo.
Dad and kids
We went to Yo Joy on Michigan Road (not the same as my beloved YoLo, but close!) and it was a first for all of us except Nathan. Summer has me on some sort of a fruity kick so I chose the Lemon Ice Pie and Strawberry flavors of yogurt. I’m also going through a phase where I think it’s vitally important to have toppings that match. So today I put strawberries on my strawberry yogurt and coconut, graham crackers and Oreos on my lemon flavor (sort of like a graham cracker/Oreo crust for a pie). Heavenly. Yo Joy was also giving away Father’s Day treats – beef jerkey for dad and roses for the girls, sorry Nathan, nothing for you!
Happy Father’s Day!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!
RUNMEM 