Hail and a Tattoo

This past weekend was an exciting one for me. I ran through hail for the first time and got my second tattoo.

To warm up for the weekend I got in a couple runs Friday. I knew that if I got out at lunch, it would be a short one so I got up early and hit the treadmill. I got in 5 miles while watching 30 Rock and The Office. I don't know if any of you have seen these shows while sitting down, but if not, it's hard to stay in your seat from laughing. So trying this while running is not recommended and should only be attempted by the most seasoned treadmill runners.

Friday AM stats: Treadmill / 5 miles / 39:00 / 7:48 pace

As luck would have it, I did get back out for a quick run Friday just after 11:30 knowing I had to make it back by 12:15 for a conference call. After hitting the locker room and getting all dolled up for my run, I had just over a half hour to run and shower before my call, which didn't leave many options for distance. My running buddy, Jim, and I decided on a 4-mile course and hit it at a pretty good pace considering we were both planning on meeting up with the Roasters crowd Saturday morning for a long run. We ran the course in 32:00 for an average pace of 7:23. Because the course was a 1/3 of a mile longer than billed, I was left with three minutes to shower, dress, and make my way to the conference room for the call. This was miserable as it took me roughly 15 minutes to stop from sweating. But I got in a run!

Friday lunch stats: Bow Street Run / 4.34 miles / 7:23 average pace / Shorts again! (it's a trend)

Saturday dawned wet. As I was getting ready there were intermittent showers with the occasional downpour mixed in. As I am one that disdains being too wet on a long run, I suited up in all my running Gore Tex and headed out the door. At 7, I met up with Emma, Jim, Blaine, and Jim (L.L.Bean) and we got the run underway in fairly pleasant running conditions. That changed at about the half way mark when the sky turned this violent shade of purple and unleashed a steady barrage of pea size hail on our heads. Luckily I was protected by my Gore Tex sheen and baseball cap but Jim (L.L.Bean) wasn't so lucky with his stocking cap. But he stuck it out bravely and we all made it out unscathed and with good stories to boot. I felt okay during the run; a little sluggish probably due to sporadic running during the week and the double header on Friday. What is most concerning is the high average HR during the run. At this pace I would expect something in the high 140s. Just means I need to get more sleep. At any rate I got in less miles than I originally planned for due to having to be home to help cover for some work Kelly had to do Saturday morning. It was all for the best as the top of my big toe started killing me at mile 14 as we descended the hill down to Falmouth Town Landing. I attribute this to my footwear choice. I decided on a Nike Gore Tex shoe that I have had for probably over four years and which aren't all that great of a road shoe. So I sacrificed my toe to keep the rest of my foot dry. Not a good choice. The toe is still killing me when I walk around but feels fine while running. Needless to say, I will make a better choice of footwear in the future.

Saturday long run stats: Roasters Run / 16.5 miles / 8:09 average pace / 154 Avg HR / 184 Max HR (?...too high.)

The rest of Saturday went normally until I left for my tattoo appointment. At 3 PM I met Beth at Tsunami Tattoo to get inked. I had been talking with her for a few weeks on a design and when I arrived Saturday she was all ready for me. I sat down in the chair at near 3:30 and besides a short stretch break after the outline was done, I didn't get up until about 7:15. That was a long time to be under the "knife" so to speak. Despite the high level of discomfort the needles visited on me (the gun used to color in the tattoo had seven needles), I will say that the experience was a pleasant one and the folks at Tsunami Tattoo do a fantastic job. If you are looking to get some work done on your canvas, look no further. And for all you nonbelievers, I challenge you to think of any product you might buy that is truly guaranteed for life! "Mutilation" or not, Blaine, but it costs pennies on the dollar and will last forever. A good investment in my eyes!

Since then I have run a couple treadmill runs in between spring lawn care, packing for our trip to Myrtle Beach (we start driving down Thursday night), and work. Sunday night I got in a comfortable 5 miles and last night I ran 7 miles, both at a near 7:30 pace.

Below is a YouTube video from a band whose CD I head for the first time while getting my tattoo done. Check them out. You won't have many opportunities in life to experience a 29 member (!) Swedish pop band. Enjoy.