Jump! Jump!

This weekend was the weekend for jumps.

Jump #1--Temperatures

Okay, so technically I guess this would be more of a fall. But it's still a move, and maybe it could be considered a jump down. The 90+ degree heat of the past few weeks moved out Friday, and Ted and I woke up Saturday morning to beautiful, barely-60 degree weather. And a long run calling. With T-shirts. :-) The urge for naked running finally passed!

Jump #2--Long Runs

Up until this point in marathon training, we have only run as far as 5 miles. We were supposed to do 7 miles one day, but it was a miserable, hot, humid, sticky day and we only did 5 that day. So Saturday was 9 miles, and everything was lined up for no excuses--the weather was gorgeous, the day was quiet, we felt good. I treated Ted to a run on the trail...not the trails I like, but the old railroad-converted-to-running-trails. Which I have learned I have quite the love-hate relationship with. I loved the cool air, the shade, the colors of the flowers and the trees. I hate the monotony of it. And not knowing exactly where I am, so I don't know exactly how far I have to go. All in all, the run was good. We averaged a good pace for us, despite definite peaks and valleys in the run. So I feel positive about the 10-mile we have looming in our future for this weekend...

Jump #3--Dave's Triathlon

Dave competed in his third triathlon this weekend. Why is this such a big accomplishment? Ted promised him Cold Stone ice cream after his third triathlon. Ted isn't one to go back on his promises--Not like Dave or myself would let him in this case!

Jump #4--The Concert

One of the greatest things about training is the increased recovery time. And fortunately, by Saturday night, any hints of a long run which was increased about 45% longer than we were used to had disappeared. Ted and I pulled on our boots and hat (well, I pulled on my boots and hat...Ted isn't quite the cowboy...but did enjoy wearing mine most of the evening) and had a guitar-strumming, country rock kind of night to Big & Rich at Musikfest in Bethlehem. We had treated ourselves and purchased amazing seats, and they only got better then security backed off for the last two songs, and allowed the crowd to rush up front. After many concerts of sitting up on the top and watching this occur from a bird's eye view, Ted was prepared and saw it coming, allowing us to get a jump start and position ourselves right up front. This allowed me not only to swoon over my guitar-picking hero, but to get pieces of the smashed guitar after the show, along with an autographed picture (handed out by stage hands, but whatever).