Princess Runner

Today I was back at the Des Plaines River Trail for a 12 mile group run. I was nervous at the beginning when I did not see my regular running partner. How would I run 12 miles alone? I really should have brought the husband’s iPod shuffle. (aside: why do I want the second generation iPod shuffle when I don’t need it? Well, I know why, it is tiny and cute and…cute. But I don’t need it). I did not have to worry though because the woman who I ran with the second part of last week’s run was there so I was able to run with her.

The run went fairly well. The weather was good today, sunny but not humid. I tried the Clif Shot Bloks this week (last week I did the gels). I also ate a Clif Bar (peanut butter crunch) for breakfast, which I think worked well. The best part about the run was that we went at a pace that was good so that I was never really out of breath and was able to carry on a conversation. My legs were pretty tired the last two miles, though. The end of my second-smallest toe on my left foot got a blister. I am going to experiment with getting 1/2 size up on the shoe and see if that helps. I can feel my foot getting bigger on the long runs, as the small toes on my left foot start to feel squished.

This seems to be a week for animal sightings while running. During the third mile we saw a deer! I think it may have been a mule deer, because it had really big ears. I am not sure, though. I also saw about 14 monarch butterflies, although I lost count. At a few times during the run they were flying along with me, which was fun. The best part, though, was that I finally saw a LIVE cicada! He just flew over and then landed on the ground. I was so happy to finally see one, especially since I thought that they had reached the end of their time here.

For the rest of the day after the run I just could not eat enough to feel full. I guess burning over 1100 calories makes a girl hungry.