Next week this time I'll be in the air

I am such a slacker, aren’t I? About keeping up with my blog I mean. I’ve been keeping up with the running though. A couple of weekends ago, I completed the “Avenue of the Giants” half-marathon. It’s a really pretty course. You run under the redwoods and those suckers get pretty big. The people ahead of you on the course look really REALLY small. It was my friend’s first half marathon and I ran it in support of her efforts. It was the smallest race I’ve ran in so far but the organization was still good although the support was fairly infrequent. I like support stations every 2 miles in the beginning and then every mile once the mileage starts adding up. The “Ave” only offered support every 2-3 miles. Oh, the fact that there was only one port-a-potty at each station rather sucked. I guess when you pay a high registration fee, you are really paying for an abundance of port-a-potties. Me and my walnut sized bladder are a-ok with that.

We stayed in Fortuna and there is a brewery there called “Eel River Brewery” and they serve an awesome Hazelnut Stout. AWESOME. It actually tastes like hazelnut. So should you ever find yourself in Fortuna, check it out.

I’ve been running during the week but the runs have been pretty short as they typically span 3 – 5 miles. I put my last long run until this past Monday when I slugged out 14 miles. I was going for 15 – 17 miles but my neck had been hurting so I cut myself some slack. I may try to squeeze in a 10 miler before flying off to Edinburgh in a WEEK! Yikes! That reminds me, I need more Gu. I love Gu. Gu is great. Anyhow, the 14 miler was a hot one. Once again, even though I put sunscreen on my belly, I got a little sun burnt in that area. I am not impressed with this Neutrogena 50 SPF with Helioplex crap. It says it’s “sweat-proof” but they must mean that in something other than English. I guess I need to find a good sport sunscreen that really stands behind their “sweat-proof” claim. I ran to the lake again for this last long run. I did not see my ugly duckling friend. I am very concerned for his welfare…