I've been sleeping more this week. I'm trying to listen to what my body needs and make sure I'm getting plenty of recovery time between runs so that meant no morning run today. I thought I would go for a run after work and before the Cardinals game but I was distracted by a box waiting on the front porch when I got home. The address label on the package said it was from Gatorade.
I went inside and opened the box to find an assortment of Gatorade products and a note saying, "Good luck at the ING New York City Marathon from your friends at Gatorade." I have to admit, my first thought was, "Holy crap... someone at Gatorade saw my blog." Then I realized Gatorade is supplying the sports drinks during the marathon and they sent the package because I'm a featured runner... not because they read my blog. It's still feels like being a real athlete with real sponsors, but I'm not as big of a deal as I thought for a minute there.
After looking through my free Gatorade and showing off to Liz when she got home, it was after 6:00 and I was seriously considering skipping today's run so I could sit down with a hot bowl of soup and watch Game 6 of the World Series without interruption. Liz was trying to decide about her run too. It was already getting dark out and it was kinda chilly so a warm night on the couch was very tempting. In the end, we both chose to stick with the plan and got ready for our runs.
By the time we left the house it was dark out and I didn't want to run through town so I decided to just run laps around the El Nopal parking lot. I had 6 miles on the schedule and each lap around the parking lot is about half a mile so I was going to be running 12-13 laps. To break up the monotony, I changed directions every two laps.
Liz was doing some speedwork around the parking lot too so we did our best to avoid any head-on collisions when we passed each other.
I wore my iPod so I could listen to the first few innings of the ball game while I ran. When I finished, I was surprised to see my pace was so fast. I didn't exactly expect listening to baseball would inspire a lot of speed. But it was cool outside... and I Love running at night... and I have to admit I was jumpring up and down when Burkman hit a home run in the first inning. And it was a huge adrenaline rush when the defense got Garcia out of a jam with an amazing double play.
By the time I was finished, I had run 6 solid miles and listened to some exciting baseball. Afterward, it was a quick hot shower and that hot soup I had been craving. Liz and I settled in to watch one of the most exciting baseball games I can remember.
It was do-or-die for the Cardinals in a back-and-forth Game 6. The beginning of the game involved a lot of ridiculous errors and I couldn't believe the Cardinals were playing such a sloppy game. The lead changed so many times, it was nerve wracking. The score after each inning:
1st Inning - Rangers 1 Cardinals 2
2nd Inning - Rangers 2 Cardinals 2
3rd Inning - Rangers 2 Cardinals 2
4th Inning - Rangers 3 Cardinals 3
5th Inning - Rangers 4 Cardinals 3
6th Inning - Rangers 4 Cardinals 4
7th Inning - Rangers 7 Cardinals 4
8th Inning - Rangers 7 Cardinals 5
Then the Cardinals held the Rangers scoreless in the top of the ninth and then David Freese hit a triple with two men on to tie the game! The Rangers scored two more runs in the top of the 10th but the Cardinals matched them with two runs of their own to send it to the 11th inning. When the Rangers went scoreless in the top of the 11th, you could tell everyone in the stadium was starting to think the Cardinals were going to pull off the win. David Freese stepped to the plate as the leadoff hitter and hit a walk-off home run to dead center field!!!
The Cardinals trailed 5 times during the game including being down by two runs in both the 9th and 10th innings and they still managed to pull off a stunning victory!
I can't remember a more intense, rollercoaster of emotions, exciting baseball game! What a magic season!!! This entire season and especially tonights game are perfect analogies for why I never leave a game early. It's not over until it's over! Go Cards!!!
Thursday
Goal For The Day: Middle Distance.
Distance: 6.00 Miles.
Time: 39:38. 6:36 Avg. (6:53, 6:34, 6:37, 6:43, 6:28, 6:19).
Route: 12+ Laps Around El Nopal Parking Lot.
Conditions: 51 degrees. 7:00pm.
Notes: My pace is still faster than I expected. Everything is falling into place nicely!
Daily Miles: 6.00 Miles.
Blog Totals:
Run - 527.32 Miles.
Bike - 144.45 Miles.
Swim - 13,450+ meters.
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