This was a unique Easter experience for me (and for my family). It started for me on Holy Saturday when I went out for a 10-mile Long Run on a nice, sunny morning. It was 53F so I didn't have to get all bundled up in order to run outside. I have been so tired of running on a treadmill! I grabbed my iPhone, downloaded a couple of "Take Him With You" podcasts, away I went!
The run was really satisfying! I even ran into a friend from my club who was biking with her husband. I hadn't seen her in probably six months, so it was really awesome to talk with them for a bit. The funny thing was that when the run was finished, I looked at my pace and I realized that I ran the whole thing at a 10:17/mm pace! I wasn't planning for that pace (it shouldn't have been that fast for a Long Slow Run) but everything just felt so comfortable. I really missed running outside so this was perfect!
On Sunday morning, I got up before the family and went out for another outdoor run. The weather was a bit cooler but at 40F, I was happy to head out the door. I put on some track pants, my Walt Disney World Half Marathon shirt (with a base layer shirt underneath) and went out for an easy 3.16 miles. Again, not really watching the watch so at the end, I wound up running at a 10:32/mm pace. Not too shabby, and I felt very good afterwards! Then we headed to church for a nice Easter service and fellowship with our friends.
We did something a little different this year for our Easter dinner. Usually, we have a big dinner with turkey or ham and all the usual fixings. But this year, we decided to go out to dinner instead.
We ended up going to Red Lobster since we all love seafood. I had salad, two biscuits, fresh Atlantic Salmon, broccoli, and rice. Everyone else had snow crab, shrimp, and other tasty goodies!
Ryan on the Rakow Road Bridge for the first time!
And for dessert, there was plenty of cheesecake and warm chocolate cake to go around. So much so, that I was feeling quite full on the drive back home. I made the comment that I thought I should go out for a long walk to 'burn off some this dinner'. My son Ryan said he'd join me!
So after 45 minutes (to let dinner settle a bit), we decided to take a 3-4 mile walk down the Prairie Path so that he could see one of the trails I train on (and maybe find a new route for his cross country team). And it had the benefit of crossing over the Rakow Road Bridge which he'd never done before. My daughter dropped us off to start the walk, and the 'plan' was that she would pick us up at the endpoint.
The walk was awesome, albeit colder than Ryan had expected. Walking with my son was an excellent chance to talk about stuff, get caught up on things, and enjoy a shared experience. We both were enjoying it a lot.
The Prairie Path with the Lake in the Hills Airport in the distance. It was really windy here (20mph winds)
After an hour on the path, we ran into a snag. There was a temporary, locked gate across the path with a sign that said the Algonquin Bridge was closed due to construction. Yikes!!! This means we were not going to reach the endpoint we had planned. More importantly, we had to take a major detour in a neighborhood we were unfamiliar with.
And that means: An Adventure! So we used the iPhone to figure out exactly 'where' we were, and how to get home. We ended up deciding to make it to Algonquin Road and walk up that road to a shopping center (that had a Baskin Robbins). It was cool snaking though the neighborhood to get to Algonquin Road. In the meantime, we discussed road safety for runners among other things.
I called home to let them know of our change of plans and to let my daughter know where to find us. We got to the ice cream place in about the same time we would have reached the original endpoint. When we got there (and bought some ice cream), we were picked up and brought home (where we enjoyed the WARMTH!).
So our walking adventure was a real blast! We took 1.5 hours to burn over 1000 calories and cover 4.94 miles in the process. Pretty sweet! Ryan said later that we should do more of these walks since it gives us a chance to talk. I think I see more long walks (as well as runs) in our future.
What an Easter weekend! I ran and walked a total of 19.3 miles over Saturday and Sunday and was so happy to be outside and sucking up all the good weather! I also got to spend some good time with the kids, watching TV and movies, worshiping together on Sunday morning, and enjoying some great seafood (and no one had to wash dishes afterwards). It was a good weekend all around!