My Best Run Yet... Finally!!!

No ITB syndrome today.

So, finally, I could run... and run... and apparently run some more. I avoided going down Union Hills today, which means I avoided the "ITB Hill."

I didn't have the energy I had on Thursday. In fact, for almost 2/3 of the run, I had to really push through a wall and talk myself into going a little further. I almost stopped several times, not wanting to push myself too hard because of my ITB issues this week. But I told myself to shut up each time and reminded myself how much I wanted to run earlier in the week. So needless to say, I didn't stop, until much later.

Here was my route: From our town home complex up Campo Bello to 20th street. Then north to Union Hills and back to Grovers. West on Grovers to 7th street, then all the way back to Cave Creek (which is the same as 24th street). Then I ran back to 20th street, headed south to Bell, then back to Campo Bello where I finally stopped and walked home. All this added up to a total of 6.3 miles! My all-time best!

Halfway into it, I felt really thirsty. My energy wasn't what it has been either. This week I would eat a couple pieces of the healthy cake January made, as well as a banana, and I would load up on water. This morning we didn't have any bananas, so I ate an orange that tasted only like the pith. very dry, very blah. Yuck! I also had a piece of cake. I had a few tall glasses of water. I had a feeling I should've had more. I didn't listen to my gut, so I started feeling pretty parched as I was running back up Grovers to Cave Creek. Needless to say, I like my morning banana and tons and tons of water.

A few times I noticed my pelvis was rocked forward, causing me to tense up in my hip flexors. When I noticed, I would rock my pelvis the opposite way and my legs loosened up, especially my hip flexors.

One funny thing happened as I was running down Grovers to 7th Street. A guy in his little red Hyundai pulled over on the side of road opposite the side I was running on. He got out and offered me some reading material. Judging by his Sunday's best, he was a Jehovah's Witness. I said I wasn't interested and chuckled to myself. I have to give the guy some credit... he had some serious cajones to ask someone if they wanted to religious material while they were running. He had two other people in his car, and I saw them driving back and forth, here and there, etc. At one point, when I was running back up Grovers, a different guy got out and approached a woman walking her dogs. She wasn't interested either. Hmmm.... Maybe witnessing to people on their morning walk or run isn't the greatest strategy. Seriously.