I had a *moment*

So, yesterday, I headed out for a brick. I still stand by my postulate that weather people have the only job where they can be wrong every day and not get fired. They were calling for severe thunderstorms. We had... blue skies. Bah!

I got home, changed in a jiffy, fixed my front tire (again - what is up with THAT!? not a flat, just keeps rubbing on the brake...), and headed out the door for the beginning of a brick. My plan was to ride Rt. 9 (Uber hilly road), come back and then go for a 4 mile run.

Not really having much time for a warmup (stupid), as Rt. 9 starts pretty much outside of my apartment, I started in on the hills right away. The first one wasn't bad, but the legs weren't liking it... at all. I made it up one hill, down, and 1/2 way up the second before I realized that this is a fairly advanced ride. Maybe it's better to take it a bit at a time.... Go a little further each ride (I'll plan to do a hilly ride a week), and pretty soon, just do all of Route 9! That will be my end-of-the-summer goal.

So, I turn around (go up another hill), and hit my Winery route. Ahhhh. Much better. Some very gentle grades. La la la. I'm enjoying the heat and the wind and the SUNSHINE until I happen to look to my right. I saw a dead kitty. :( I *almost* stopped (people were out and about at the house across the street.), but it made me so sad, I realized I really couldn't do anything. He was so cute too... This heat is so hard for our little critters - Don't forget about them!

Soon, I forgot about my sadness, though, because I happened upon a little find.... I passed this road called "Hardwick Pond Road" and thought, "Gee, I wonder what's down there!" I love exploring, and I was greatly rewarded... I round a corner after 1/2 mile and find...... a HUGE POND! (Who'd a thunk?) It gets better.... There are 3 swimming docks a good distance out. (I'll never swim there by myself of course, but it's nice to know that I *can* go there on the weekends, should I so choose!).

So, I turn around (after a lady that looked VERY much like one of my good friends from school asked ME for directions.... I don't think I helped that much because I was still trying to make my brain work correctly. "That can't be Melissa... She's in Oregon." Geesh.), get back to the house, grab a frozen Energice (not bad), my fuel belt (it's hot!), and I'm out the door.

The legs are a little wonky, so I focus on small baby steps. I take it slow for the first mile (as it includes two short but steep hills). Gradually I settle into a rhythm. I turn around after 20 minutes (realizing that I'm about to burn over 800 calories for the day, and I probably shredded my legs a bit on the hills) and head back again (I've now travelled this road a few times today already... and I think people are starting to recognize me as "that crazy girl!").

I see a lady cross the street to get her mail, and wonder if she's a runner... She just has the look. She looks at me and tells me that she's jealous because I'm doing what she usually is at that time! Woo Hooo!!! I tell her that maybe I'll see her out sometime. :)

And then the unthinkable happens. Just a few minutes later, a man comes running out of his house and asks me if he can talk to me. I'm a little confused (I don't know him at all!). He crosses the street and tells me that he's training for his first marathon (MCM) with his son, and asks me about my running back ground. (I admit to getting a little chill... This is a first for me.) Welllll, I did my first marathon in April, I tell him! He gets excited and starts pelting me with questions. How do I pace? How often do I run? What am I training for?

And then: Do you drink when you run? He starts to tell me that he ran an 8 miler on Sunday WITH NO WATER! (Guys, it was 90s here with a dewpoint near 70 on Sunday. I also ran an 8 miler Sunday, almost completely finishing a 24 oz bottle of PowerGel Endurance, and another 24 oz bottle of water when I got home....) I promptly conjure up my meanest mommy voice and tell him that that is a very BAD idea! Well, I was somewhat gentler, but my eyes almost popped out of my head. Ohmygosh! If he learns nothing else, I hope he heard me say that! I told him that he should also be replacing electrolytes, and to check the MCM website to see what sports drink they are using... and then to train with it. I hope he heard me.

But, let me just tell you how cool it was to be mentoring someone about marathon training. I am by no means an expert, but it was just the greatest feeling. It's one of the things I love most about running and triathlon - that ability to pay it forward and share the gift with someone else. That, my friends, is what it's all about.