On a Windy Wednesday...

A While ago, Cheryl and Mike talked about having a Joint training run in Davenport sometime before Christmas.   I think they were thinking that the weather would hold or that the paths along the Mississippi in Davenport remain mostly clear all winter long.   Either way,  The day had finally arrived...  Wednesday.  

However,  the weather was not cold or snowy.   In fact!  It was warm, almost balmy.. and Very windy.   I know the news would have you believe that the gusts were bad.  and I'm sure they were in other parts of Iowa.  But along the river,   the wind was mostly just annoyingly blunt.  A few gusts now and then, but not as terrible as I predicted in the last post. 

And so it was that all the way to Davenport,  Cheryl complained.   About the weather, about the timing, about the wind, about the heat... about everything.  If she had not involved a third party, I'm sure she would have bailed on it altogether.  It did not help that Mike was telling her that he planned on running 20 miles at a 5 minute mile pace.   

Eventually, I convinced her that Mike just trying to mess with her mental game and we met both Mike and Pam on the river near the Baseball Stadium.    Pam brought her bike, so I would not feel totally alone on this little adventure, while the two "runners" would run their miles and chat about running.  

Topics?

So what do runners talk about while running?  Well,  lots of things.  Most of them Boring...  Shoes, times, paces, races, nutrition, diet, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, best way to  die, all while bragging about PR's and future prospects to make your Rival jealous or intimidated.   Remember:  Mind Games!

I  think the topic of dying is the most fun.   Cheryl wants to die while running a marathon.   Kind of  boring, but definitely rare.   And still within the realm of possibilities! (Cool fact!   28 people die each year running Marathons! The overall death rate was 0.75/100 000 or 1 death for every 132 798 finishers. Good to know! ) I told her if she ever dies in a Marathon, we should play the Lotto!

Mike wants to be hit by a train.  Which, if done properly, could be a Spectacular death scene worthy of the news AND possibly the internet.  The key would be in the details while also keeping it clean.

Here's a Train!

  (Because, You Tube would censor something too gruesome.) I think it can be done.   I have seen plenty of Russian "Near misses" to see potential. 

Another Train!

No one asked me about my preferred method. Not even Pam.  Possibly because we were on our bikes and NOT running.   Or because we are the "normal" ones.   Normal people, as opposed to runners,  do not talk about such "dark subjects" .... Normally.   

So I would want to die while Crab Fishing in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska.  (Duh!)   Anyone who reads this blog would probably have guessed that.  It would be the perfect method because you would be doing an already Deadly job so dying would not be unusual;  your death statistic would bump up the body count and continue  the dangerous reputation of being a Crab fisherman. And you would be a Legend!  Maybe get my name on some monument in Dutch Harbor... And best of all:  No clean up! No body,  No coroner, no cremation, no funeral.   And I would help support the Ecosystem by feeding the fish.  (something I have always liked).  It would be Cheap!   If Cheryl is still around, ( assuming she did not die in a Marathon ahead of me.)  She can easily entertain all 5 people I know for the wake, with some ham on buns and black coffee!

 But I digress....Got a little sidetracked there.    But back to the Long run. 

Pam and I are spotters for the run.

Things seemed to go well the first half of the run.   Mostly because the wind was to our backs.  ( slightly)   Mike and Cheryl kept pace with each other, despite all their bravado.  

Nutrition time!  Only for "Wimps"

 At the Turn around point,  Mike noted that they had already passed 7 miles and were aiming more for a 15 mile run.   As a result,  Mile began eating energy goo and drinking water.   Cheryl called him a wimp for fueling up and said that she only runs "hardcore" with no water or nutrition to help her out.   So after a little "Trash Talk"  we were on our way again. 

Home Stretch with a head wind.

Around mile 13.1...  Cheryl began to feel the burn.   Not only was the wind more directly in our face, but now the lack of hydration and energy was taking a toll.   Mike, without saying a word,  flaunted his superior training method by literally running circles around Cheryl.  

A picture that sums up the run.

When we finally arrived at the end,   Cheryl collapsed.   A fitting end to her "Hard Core" Training method.   Don't worry,  she didn't die.   This was a training run, not a marathon. 

Is she dead yet? 

However,   she DID buy several energy Gummies for the next long run.   Turns out, Mike's super secret training techniques will not stay secret if he runs with a rival.   They will end up stealing your methods and using them against you... So be prepared for a rematch! With water and Gummies next time!....
 

Chris Mathews ate here?

With the run and rivalry out of the way, we headed to get some food.   Small note here:  We initially selected "Tommies" who bragged they had the best breakfast in town.   But we all decided to change plans when we discovered "Tommies" was located near a Homeless Shelter,  Sandwiched between an adult book store and a Liquor Store that bragged they have "the cheapest liquor in town." 

Second choice:  Jimmy's Pancakes.   Much better.  Better section of town, better look, feel and  probably food.  We liked it enough to pencil in another long run next week.   

12 stockings before power outage.

So in the end,  We ( they) ran 15 miles... or so.   and we all avoided the Storm that hit us last night.   Our power was out for a while, so I had to wait to post this for today.    Cheryl and I also finished up 12 stockings when we got home.   A Herculean task!  Both of us were tired...  Mostly from the long drive.   and possibly a little from the 15 mile run... But the Stockings were made!

Flan!

I was happy Pam tagged along since I would have been a third wheel if I had no one else to chat with. And she brought some more Flan...  Possibly because I raved about it over Thanksgiving.   It is mostly gone now, and I think I shared one spoonful with Cheryl.  That counts, right? 

The Cold has arrived.

Cheryl runs anyway.

This post is way too long, but that is what happens when much happens and the power goes out, so you have to wait a day to post things.  If you managed to read this far,  thank you!   I tend to get a little "word heavy" when I have additional time to embellish things.  I'll try to do better next time.  We shall see.  

Still windy

In the mean time,  Hope everyone survived the storm; Is staying warm, now that the temps have dropped back down; and is having a fun and fine week so far.   Thanks for stopping in.