Last 22 miler, Gull Lake Festival, Starbucks Drawing, & Gran Fondo

Workout: 22 M around town

As I stretch out my legs and enjoy a delicious lunch under a pine tree at the Gull Lake Marina, I listen to birds chirping, water trickling down the rocks, and live Rock bands playing. I watch as people sail on small boats and kayaks and walk by wearing tie dyed shirts and jeans with their dogs, and ducks float along as I take a deep breath and feel the oxygen flowing down my arms and legs and a sense of tranquility that overtakes me. I got lunch from Bleu Marketplace - prosciutto, aged cheese from Spain (I can't pronounce the exact names), baked wheat bread, crackers, nuts drizzled in olive oil and spices, green and purple olives, and inch-long pickles - all for $15, enough food for 2 meals (although it was supposed to be $17.50, the cashier gave me a discount :) without saying anything about it, so I left a tip). I enjoyed the live music and arts & crafts festival after my meal. I saw a dog as I was walking to this little dock and just had to take a photo!

                                      

Yesterday, I ran 11 miles, then relaxed, ate a lot, and watched "One Mile To You" on Netflix, which was a good story about a fast high school runner whose strength in running comes from the pain he has delt with and how he learns to run with his heart. I was very tired and went to sleep at 8:30 pm. I hope I can sleep like this the day before the race.

My legs and hip flexors felt very sore yesterday and this morning, making it difficult to pick up my legs and run fast. I think it was because I pushed too hard on Thursday's run when the wind was against me the whole time. I should have slowed down and accepted that the wind was going to slow me down rather than fight it. It was a chilly 43 degrees this morning and I was wearing shorts and a tank top with gloves, which also made my body work harder to get warm. I ran the same route as my last 22 miler two weeks ago, and ran 9 sec per mile slower. I was mainly trying to run for about 2 and a half hours and was less concerned about speed. I needed my feet to feel what it's like to run for that time because I am hoping to run the marathon in 2:3x. This is my last 22 miler before the race, and next week's long run will be 18 or 20 miles. I stretched, rolled my legs, and took a hot bath after my run and now my legs feel less sore. I will likely do all this again tomorrow after my run to recover from this long run.

Poem on the drawing

I finished up drawing a picture for my friends at Starbucks to thank them for being awesome and so friendly to me when I come in to say hi, draw, and also for the drinks and food. They held the picture in their hands, their eyes looked at every detail for a minute with smiles on their faces, and they pointed at the people in the drawing and named off each employee that I drew. They were very thankful and hung up the picture on the wall in their office. The mat on the drawing says "Thanks A Latte." This is how the store actually looks, and there are really windows above the store too. I don't think too many people draw pictures for employees at places, but it's something that really shows appreciation and brings happiness. I try to use my talents that God gave me to bring happiness. All it takes is a piece of artwork or volunteering as a pacer in a race to plant a seed in someone's heart and it may even encourage them to do an act of kindness.

Today is also the Mammoth Gran Fondo, a 102 mile bike ride that climbs 6 different summits for a total of 6,500 ft. It is a big race in town where people come from all over the country to participate. The race ended at the Village Plaza, with live music, food, and drinks. It was cool to see so many dedicated bikers from age 7 and up. This town is really an icon of athletic and healthy lifestyles. See the video below to hear bikers share about their exciting experience and see views of the scenic route.