I had an epiphany at the North Carolina State Fair on Saturday as I watched hogs complete a lap around a miniature track for Cheetos. I believe the phrase that popped into my head was something similar to The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy tells Toto, "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Hog racing is a far cry from my tropical South Florida childhood, no doubt about that. But embrace every new experience, right?
Erica and I trekked through the rain to the fair after my 13-mile run through a downpour that morning. Due to a missed run and an unsuccessful swim training the day before, I wasn't starting out on the best foot. By the end of the run, however, I was feeling great. Eloise (my friend/occasional running partner) and I even managed to pick up the pace as we ran uphill for the last two miles! So all in all, a good run. It's funny how, a few months ago, 13 miles would have seemed like a very long run. When I looked at my training schedule last week, my initial thought was, "Great! Only 13 miles. Easy."
However, the food at the fair didn't treat my stomach well at all. I clearly remember, when I went to the fair with friends during my freshman year at UNC, eating fair food didn't bother me at all. I sampled a candy apple, corn, a bloomin' onion, fried oreos, a BBQ sandwich, a corndog, french fries, a funnel cake, etc. This past Saturday, some funnel cake and part of a bloomin' onion left me nauseated and wanting to run to a trash can.
Luckily, I was feeling better the next morning because I had a full day's workout ahead: 100 miles on the bike and then a one-hour run after that. In all honesty, long bikes rides (especially alone) are extremely psychologically challenging. I've managed to test and try new methods of hydration and nutrition, but I am really excited/interested to see what a competitive atmosphere will do for my bike time.
I have five weeks to find out...
(AND Morgan will be in the U.S. in seven weeks!!!)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment