Fabulous Fall Foliage

This weekend I had a 10 mile run on tap, as part of my program to get ready for the Hot Chocolate 15K. Although I ate lunch outside in short-sleeves on Monday, by Saturday morning the weather had changed and it was cold!

I opted for a mid-weight long-sleeve shirt, my new Athleta running tights, light-weight gloves, light-weight earband, and a cap–oh, and my new Momentum Anita Active sports bra from Athleta! I was worried about being cold without a jacket, but it ended up being perfect.

I was halfway to the bike path when I realized that I had forgotten my Garmin. Although I had my iPhone, it won’t fit in my Nathan fuel belt. (Please, won’t someone make a fuel belt that holds a full size water bottle and an iPhone???) I decided to use the mile markers on the bike path to mark my distance (they are not as accurate as the Garmin, but they are pretty close) and used the stopwatch on my iPod to mark the time.

Since my iPod was safely zipped away during my run, I had no idea what pace I was keeping. I decided that leaving my Garmin at home was a good opportunity to “just run” without being tempted or taunted by split times.  My breathing was pretty easy unless I was nearing the top of a steep hill, and I didn’t feel like I was running hard.

Without my watch to glance at, I had to focus my attention on this:

(I’m impressed by the photo quality from my new iPhone!)

As I neared my finish point, I fumbled with my iPod to access the stopwatch and figure out how to stop it (note to self: that is not a touch screen!). I was surprised to see the time read 1:30:50.  That meant I had kept up a 9:00-ish pace on a hilly route without feeling like I was exerting myself!

As I walked to cool down, I looked across the river and could see the site of the Hot Chocolate 15K. I couldn’t help but notice how the road seemed to go straight up after the bridge. After this run, I am just about ready to declare: Bring it! 

(But I’m glad I have a few more weeks of training.)

Did you get to enjoy fabulous fall weather this weekend?

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9 Responses to Fabulous Fall Foliage

  1. Miz says:

    I miss the fall.
    Im glad it's no longer in the 100 but, to me, 80 isnt fall…

  2. FindingMyHappyPace says:

    Nathan DOES make a fuel belt that's big enough for an iphone.. Silly. What kind do you have? You should tweet me a photo with your quality iphone camera.
    I like the very first picture of the bike path, looks like a wonderful run.

  3. LOVE it! Thanks for sharing.

  4. FindingMyHappyPace says:

    I can't find a picture of the one I have, but it's close to this: http://static.moo-shop.com/i/products/sun-ski-spo

  5. David H. says:

    I love the fall and cooler temperatures, but I'm starting to curse the up and down swings we've been having. Bring on the cold I say!

  6. Beautiful pictures 😉 Hot Chocolate is such an awesome reward for a 15K 🙂

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