ultimate suffering and resurrection

For a moment there, I got really depressed.

I didn't have to work today, yay! Not that I'm working much, but the job I have at present is a rather fatiguing combo of physical exertion and mental abuse--the latter comes from people who are not in their right minds, so usually I just shrug it off but after a while it tires me. So, working two days in a row feels like a regular work week! Fortunately, for some reason, I didn't have to work today. Tomorrow, yes, but not today. yay!

So, I slept in, then jogged to the hospital for a TB test...I'm going to be volunteering as a physio assistant....and then I jogged/walked the long way home, through the tulip festival. Yep, they're mostly out and, more importantly for training purposes, the food vendors are out too.

Now I feel guilty! I really enjoyed seeing the tulips. They are one of my favourite types of flowers, and I marvel at the variety of colours they display. And the first pass through the gardens, I looked mainly at the tulips, but my wandering eye saw that there were popsicle vendors as well.

I went home, had a meal, changed, and set back out. No dog, it was too hot for him. He begged to differ and actually tried to sneak out of the house with me, which he usually doesn't do. I had a moment of second thought but knew that I wanted to do at least nine more miles. Plus, dogs aren't allowed in the tulip gardens, so there would be no popsicles if I took him.

I set out, walking, then running, then walking....my foot is still sort of iffy. I'm beginning to wonder if I cracked something. However, fortunately, jogging just a mile at a time is fine. I'll be alternating anyway during the ultra. I can't stop reminding myself of this. I feel like a slug these days, not having run more than a couple of miles straight in eons. Oh, well.

I went back through the tulip gardens to make sure that the popsicle people weren't just mirages.

Then onto the Arboreteum, where I did a light hill workout, just a mile's worth, three laps up and down a hill. It felt easy. I told myself that I would just have to do that 50 times.

Then, back to the tulip gardens, but, wait! There had been a popsicle vendor there, but no longer!

I swear, it was an incredible tragedy. The bottom fell out of my world.

I decided that I was mistaken and the vendors were further up. I then noticed that there were stalls/tents set up in the middle--I'd been going on the outskirts--and so I went to investigate.

And then I saw it.

The Big Lemon.

I forget what the franchise is called, but the stall is a big lemon and all it offers is freshly squeezed lemonade. I could taste the icy tartness already.

There was a tip jar set up...I'm not a fan of this sort of thing, tip jars at counters, and usually I ignore it unless I've been going someplace regularly. The whole lemon shook while she was shaking up my lemonade, though, and that made me feel that she was doing an exemplary job, so I tipped her. The lemonade could have been a little more tart, but it was delicious enough and very refreshing. I drank most of it too quickly, though, and for a bit, I was worried about getting stomach cramps. I decided to walk for a while, holding the remainder of my lemonade.

Then I met a friend, and jogged with her for a while back the way I came. I jogged back to where I was, and then met another friend and jogged with him for a while, again, in the opposite direction and then jogged back(I was getting pretty tired of Dow's Lake by this point!). After a while, I walked, drank the rest of my lemonade, then jogged. I tried to keep up with some random guy in an Army 1/2 shirt, but he was going too fast for me--I had no idea at the time how far I'd already gone. Then I met another friend...the Canal was buzzing! I walked the last mile home. I'm getting to be a big fan of walking, particularly with longer runs. It pushes the wall way back.

My total ended up being a bit over the 16 miles I'd planned on; I'd lost track of time (couldn't do the math), plus I had to catch up with my friends. I did 22.42 miles in about 4:50. Feels fine. My body now knows what it has to do on Saturday, albeit for just a bit longer.

Now all I have to do is stretch, eat, sleep, and pack. I'm not quite sure what I'll wear, aside from shoes and bodyglide. My bottle/belt combo sucks but I can deal with it...after a while, it stops sliding around and I forget I'm wearing it. Shoes...well, can't wear the ones that did my foot in! I'd bought another pair of trail running shoes, and I know that trail running shoes are kind of stiff, but I just haven't taken a shine to them. Will bring them anyway just in case. I have two oher pairs of shoes to wear, one trail shoes, and the other not quite, but comfy. I guess I'll put the comfy shoes in a drop bag for the last ten miles, just in case.