Yesterday I was looking at my Plus3Network donations and saw that I could hit $50 if I did a 10 mile run.  I had planned on only doing 7.5 miles but this motivated me to do the little bit extra.  So, not only was I motivated to push myself a bit more but, on my behalf, a firm rewarded a non-profit organization with a donation based upon my effort.  I only had to spend a minute or two to log the run.  If you haven’t checked out this site yet you should.  You can get credit for most activities as you can see from the list below.

Activities Leading to $50 Worth of Donations on Plus3Networks

As I was getting ready to head out for my run I checked the thermometer.  A balmy 50 degrees.  Not real warm for me, so, I dawned my thin beanie to keep my ears warm and pulled on the arm sleeves that I had initially picked up for biking.  I still haven’t picked up any thin gloves and was quite aware of this when I headed out.  Just before hitting the roadI heard the distinctive pitter-patter of rain drops.  Fortunately, it appeared to be a stray rain cloud and passed by the time I headed out.  A couple of bottles of water fastened to my Amphipod, my iPod playlist dialed in, my Garmin Edge 405 locked on some satellites and I pushed the [Start] button and headed out.

My 10 mile run is basically an out-and-back run that is mainly on roads.  I start by picking up the Bay Area Ridge Trail for about .25 mile to the main road into our development.  Three-quarters of a mile later and I’m heading out to the Rowell Ranch Rodeo grounds on the primary artery through Castro Valley.  When I hit the main gate I’ll be exactly five miles out and ready to turn back and head home.  There was quite a stiff breeze pushing into me on the outbound leg.  Every one-in-awhile there would be something blocking it just long enough to see the water vapor from my exhales.  When I was about half a mile from the rodeo grounds the sky opened up.  Not a downpour but heavy, large raindrops.  I pushed the iPod to my back to keep the rain off of it, ducked my head and pushed on.  A short time after turning around and heading back the rain let up, or I caught back up with the edge of the rain cloud.  All-in-all I didn’t get too wet and my electronics fared well.

Dog Skeleton Next to Fire Hydrant

I’m thinking I should start keeping a log of road kills.  Is that disturbing?  Today’s tally was one poor little robin that was truly flat.  I really should have taken a pause to get a photo as it was interesting how I could easily make out what it was even though it was flatter than a pancake.  The other road kill was a skunk.  Okay, the skunk had been picked up off the parkway but the stink remained.  I had seen the unfortunate soul earlier in the day when I took Harrison to school, so, I knew it wasn’t an errant release of perfume.  On other runs I’ve seen pretty much the range of critters in the area from cats to raccoons to dogs.  I’ve seen opossum while driving but don’t think I’ve seen any while running.  Outside of skunks, the smelliest thing, which I didn’t initially see but certainly smelt, was a deer; quite nasty.  I think the most interesting, unfortunate victim was what appeared to be a dog.  What was interesting was that it hadn’t been picked up and, as such, had fully decomposed down to the bones.  The skeleton was laid out rather perfectly.  I know puppy death isn’t funny but the fact that this dog’s skeleton was juxtaposed next to a fire hydrant made it quite difficult not to laugh.

BuckeyeOutdoors.com 1,000 Mile Challenge

The other thing I took on today was signing on for a 2010, 1,000 mile challenge on BuckeyeOutdoors.com.  If I am good about getting in my 20 miles of running per week I can pull this off.  As of right now I’m about 20th out of 134 folks who have signed up.  You can get a quick look at my weekly mileage and notes over in the sidebar of this site.

So, other than my body being a bit tired from the running my knees are good and my hip doesn’t seem to get sore much anymore.  The worse thing is that my lower back has started bothering me again and doesn’t seem to be letting up.  I’ve actually got my desk in the standing position as I write this hoping that this might help.  So far it isn’t and I’ll likely shift to sitting pretty soon… after I grab some Advil.

For the past year or so I’ve been a lot better about staying hydrated when I run.  I didn’t use to as I figured it wasn’t a big deal as I’d only be out running for an hour or so.  Then I started upping the mileage, doing regular 10 mile runs.  I quickly learned proper hydration will keep me going stronger, which should result in fewer fatigue-based injuries as I maintain a better running form and am less apt to stumble….  I also realized that I always carry liquids with me when I bike, so why shouldn’t I when I run?

The thought of having to lug water or other liquids during a run was really what put me in the mindset of figuring I could just re-hydrate when I got home or at a drinking fountain if I happened by one (not something I usually find along a trail).  I had looked around a bit before but didn’t want a bottle with a hand strap that I would carry and the thought of a hydration backpack wasn’t a fond one.  Then, one day when I was in a running store looking for some new shoes, I looked around a bit more and also asked a store employee for his thoughts.  He showed me the Amphipod RunLite 4 system.  I bought it, LOVE it, use it all the time and wouldn’t think of trying anything else.

The cool thing with this system is that you can tailor it for yourself and your running style.  It comes with a small pouch that I carry my iPhone in along with a copy of my Driver’s License, 10 bucks, a doggy poop bag and, on rare occasions, power gels or similar energy foods.  While writing this post I was looking a little closer and found that there is another small sleeve under the velcro closure tab, perfect for a key.  That’s the beauty of writing a post, you often learn a little bit more.

The bottles that come with the RunLite 4 are 8oz each.  They are easy to fill, have no BPA, can be situated in different positions and are easy to access while running.  The only thing I’ve encountered a couple of times is the bottle falling off if I’m not careful to ensure I hear/feel it click back into place.  Having four separate bottles is great as you can distribute the weight and, for those shorter runs, leave a couple at home.  I often just run with two bottles and position the pouch toward the front so that my iPhone headset cable tracks better.  The other benefit is you can mix and match your beverages, maybe carrying three waters and one power drink.  You could potentially even store dry items in the bottles as they have a wide cap.

So, keep the energy up while running and stay hydrated.  Hydration is important for proper body functioning and will make the joy of running that much more wonderful.  The Amphipod website is http://www.amphipod.com.

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