Stormy Saturday

The wind was insane this morning.  Steady 15mph winds with 46mph gusts.  There was also a 50% chance of rain.  Sounds like the perfect conditions for a nice long pre-sunrise run!  Katherine was supposed to go with me, but ended up texting me at 5am to say she wasn't going to make it.  I left the house (pepper spray in hand) before 6am, so I stuck to the main streets since they're more well lit and more populated.  I didn't have a definite route in mind, so I just ran along as I pleased.  Then it struck me, I'd pop over to Katherine's house for a photo bomb in her yard!  

It was fairly warm, but the wind gusts made it cooler.  Normally I really dislike running in the wind, but I was really eager for a long run so it didn't really bother me.  Kurtis put some new songs on my mp3 player for me that I really enjoyed and I was keeping a nice pace despite the wind.  I got sprinkled on a bit, but nothing too bad.  Plus, it was my first run in my new Altra Instinct 1.5s so I was excited to test them out.  They are a total dream!  As Katherine said, "They're like running on marshmallows!"  After about five miles I decided to text Meghan to see if she wanted to come along for part of my run.  Turned out she and Rob were heading out at 7:30a to run, so I met up with them then, and they ran me home.  It was fun to run with those two!  It had been a long time. 

Good morning Sandy!

Blogger really brightens up these photos.  It was much darker out, but the clouds were amazing.

Red light district?

Katherine's house!  Geez, why'd you ditch me!?  (It was actually quite nice to have a solo run, so don't feel bad, K!)

What up!?

Sweet dreams 

Look who I found!  Thanks for taking me home, guys!  

Altras!!!

I also tried out this new UltrAspire Quantum belt I just got.  It was really awesome!  I couldn't even tell I was wearing it!  The only downside is there is no place for hydration, so I had to carry a handheld.  But, it was super comfy and perfect for my phone, keys and food!  

A fabulous run with great friends and some awesome new gear.  Doesn't get much better than that!

12.11 miles

2:08

10:34 average pace

But wait!  It does get better!  I took Kurtis to get new shin guards for soccer and I saw this little rain jacket/windbreaker!  It's super light weight and the sleeves are long enough!  I'm skinny and have, as my Dad puts it, "arms like an orangutan" so finding sleeves that are long enough on a small can be hard!  Not sure exactly what water resistant means, but at that price, I couldn't resist!  So, now I need a rain run to try it out.  *Ahem* Mother Nature, you got that?