I'm now seven weeks out from my first-ever half marathon. Thankfully, I've been able to gradually increase the miles (and the frequency of workouts) without getting knee pain. I bought some new running shoes, thinking the extra-cushiony goodness would reduce that jarring impact on my knees. I just upgraded my Mizuno Wave Rider 11s to 13s, because they felt a better fit than the Brooks and New Balance that I tried. I've been doing yoga every Monday, and spinning almost every week. Exercising this much during the week adds a low level of achiness and fatigue that I didn't feel when I was training for the 10-miler. However, my times are getting faster.
This weekend I'm following Hal's schedule to the T by doing a 5k race instead of my long run. I asked Owen if he wanted to do the kids' 50-m fun run, but he gave a firm No. Looks like I might be getting up by myself for this race. I'd love to have Tay and O there, but sometimes I feel guilty making my hobby so central to our family's weekends.
Last weekend we had perhaps our last camping adventure of the season. We visited both Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob and camped at nearby Ohiopyle State Park. Good thing we hadn't brought any Punkin' Ale with us, because Ohiopyle SP does not allow alcohol. They do, however, take a very liberal stance on food containment (unlike Shenandoah SP), which leads me to believe that bears are not common there. I did see eighty million chipmunks, and Owen started making fun of the girlish "Awwwww" I let out every time I spotted one. What? They're cute!
We all agreed that Kentuck Knob was our favorite of the two homes; we also preferred the tour there. Fallingwater's "family tour" was a major letdown. The activities mentioned in the description were lacking, and we just didn't learn that much. Taylor is threatening to write a letter to inform them of his disappointment, so who knows if we'll ever be allowed back.
Oh, and it's official: We are heading to Iceland for Thanksgiving. It was a close call between the land of ice and the Netherlands, but the geological wonders beat out the legal pot. We've booked our flights, train tickets, and our nights at the very clean, very safe family hostel. Most importantly, I procured from my GP a prescription for the tranquilizers so essential to my flying anywhere.