The Running Journal

Bri and Laurin love my post-run photo shoots, it'll be easy to see why in the following fantastic photojournalistic ride of ecstacy.

Ah, the first group run of the season! -- It was so good to get to be running with my girls again.  This was the first time we have ran together in over a year.  It was coldies - note the layers, but it didn't matter - we were together again!  Afterwards we went to starbucks.  I was sore after this one because they are both very fast.
Countdown to the Indy Mini: 14 weeks.

Oops I did it again George.

Yes, it was this run I decided I'm goign to take pictures after every long run we do together.  Laurin graciously posed, thanks LLBean.  Bri - sexy as always.

Because #1: I love salt encrusted cheeks in photos  #2 this is something we will look back on and say "wow - we were really sweaty". 

Countdown to Mini: 13 weeks.

 

This was the second run I made Bri wait on us in Eagle Creek Parking lot... she said I should have to call Jake to tell him why she's going to be late -- I knew she wasn't joking but acted like I thought she was, it worked.
Bonus round - my friend Ami joined us!  She's a rockstar - was post-call and still came out for a long run in the cold.
Countdown to Mini: 11 weeks.

April 11, 8 miles, Chicago lakefront, 75 degrees, so bloody hot.

We woke up at 8 but didn't start running until 10am.  I had the worst cramps ever, so we had to stop and get aleve, but I had to eat something before taking it so we had to stop at dunkin donuts, then i had to desperately beg the lady at subway to let me use the bathroom where i then had diarrhea for a solid 15minutes.   I also forgot a sports bra, which, in a bittersweet moment after I started running, realized I didn't need one.  Finally we started - and ran along the water -- it was soOO beautiful! 

I left Bri hanging in Indy to treck out 8 miles alone... sorry Bri!  Next weekend we'll have a girls run.

April 17, 10 miles, Eagle Creek
"My name is Angie Eagle Creek Franco"

This makes me laugh.  It makes me love that even after 10 miles we are all still very funny and gorgeous - salty - but gorgeous. Laurin was trying to sabatoge the post-run photo, but HA it backfired and just makes it more funny.  It was PERFECT running weather.  First shorts and t-shirts of the year!  The first few miles were awesome, we got to hear all about Laurin's eurotrip, Bri's real estate adventures, and my problem of being a total backseat to my fiance for no reason at all.  It was so fun -- then I saw Bri look at her watch and I made the mistake of asking how many more -- and we still had FOUR to go... it felt like we had already ran 10... at this point I realized that I had to fire Angie Higdon.  Once a week is just not enough training to get through 10 bloody miles.  The hills that are really fun to run at 3 miles become horrible at 6. On this run I named myself Angie Eagle Creek Bermes Franco because Laurin said I dont know the trails - I only act like I do, which is balderdash, so I would just like to put it in writing.  I am a park ranger.
I will try to run at least once during the week this week, see if that helps...

4/29/11 (day after my 32nd birthday)

No photo, apologies

I must say I am very grateful to still be running at 32, with my two very best friends.  On this run I realized how crazy it was that I spent an entire year away from them.  This friendship is something more valuable than anything I could gain elsewhere and we're not going to be young and able to go for long runs forever. 

This run was sans Bri, we missed her, she had to actually work during the day.  Laurin met me at the hospital and we ran along the white river up to the vicinity of the Indy Mus of Art,, but we got maybe a little lost, I think we ran into an alternate universe in Indy, neither of us had ever been here, and it all looked very foreign.  Maybe we were just dehydrated and hypoglycemic and were tripping from mile 5 onward. Last run I fired Angie Higdon, but the next day I got sick with the most wicked head cold and did not run, barely walked in fact for over a week, so once again, I was struggling at mile 5.  We made it to 10 but again I felt just not right for a good 3 hours post run. 

Lester's training is suspicous at best.  If he beats us with basically a week of training I will not speak to him for at least 30 minutes.

Mini Marathon 5/7/11

It SUCKED so bad... but the start was nice.