Eat Drink Run Woman

While the calendar may have claimed summer ended a week ago, we continued to be blessed with some absolutely glorious weather.  Sure, the morning’s were a tad nippy, but the afternoons have been clear and cool — perfect for running.  That said, I knew it couldn’t last, and indeed today there’s a storm a brewin’.  I’m not quite ready to bring out my winter running clothes, but I did appreciate my long-sleeved tech tee during this morning’s run.  (Edit — I wrote the previous paragraph last night.  Tonight — to guard against the whipping wind and horizontal rain — I did indeed break out the long pants.  Summer’s over.)

As we watched the clouds come rolling in my darling commented how much he’ll miss this past summer.  While many folks think Seattle is all rain and gloom, those of us who live here know better.  Yes, we’ve had years where our summer was merely a week or two.  But this summer?  Couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Not surprisingly, we were running fools.  Here are some of the highlights:

Wild Thing Summer Fling
Marathons are serious affairs.  The word “fun” has no place when discussing the marathon.  Yeah, right.

Granted, only a Maniac could appreciate a race such as this — 10 loops around a 2.6-mile trail, each runner MUST wear a dress for at least the first loop (as well as red lipstick), then perform a designated task after each loop.  Runners not possessing a sense of humor or silliness need not apply.  This wasn’t my fastest marathon, but I know I had the most fun. I’ll let the pictures tell the tale:

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With the WRIGHTSOCK Challenge in its fourth and final week, I decided I needed to put at least one pair of socks to the ultimate test.  I already tried my new socks on two 20-mile runs, a half marathon race, the Hood-to-Coast relay (where I wore a different pair on each of three legs) and various short runs ranging from 4 to 10 miles.  While each performed fabulously, I still questioned whether they could hold up to the rigors of the marathon.

Yesterday I had my answer.

For Michelle’s Grande Ass Marathon — a point-to-point race hitting six different Starbucks along the course — I turned to my SLXs as they had treated me well for one of my 20 milers.  I threw caution to the wind and decided not to lube up my feet, although I did carry some moleskin in my pack just in case.  Although we awoke to a downpour, the rain tapered off by the time of the race.  In fact, the first part was perfect for running — cool and cloudy.  But as we left the fourth Starbucks at around the 14- to 15-mile mark, the skies opened up again.  UGH!

The final 11-12 miles were a sopping wet slog (toward the end I questioned why I was even dodging the puddles — I couldn’t possibly get any more wet), but fortunately I felt nary a blister nor hot spot on my feet.  They were completely soaked, but stayed warm during the run.  Can’t ask for anything more.

Of the six pairs sent by WRIGHTSOCK, my favorites are the SLXs and the SLRs.  Both hug my arches and are extremely comfortable.  My next favorites are the Running IIs and the Cool Mesh.  They’re both double-layered, however, I find they crease easily when putting them on.  But once I smooth them out they stay that way.

Because we’ve had such hot weather, I only tried out the Cushioned DLXs once.  They too are quite comfortable, and I’m sure they’ll be one of my go-to pairs come winter.  As for the ultra-thin SLTs, I probably won’t wear them for running as they’re just TOO thin.  But they’ll be great for gym or for slipping on aprés race.

I’d like to thank WRIGHTSOCK and the Runner’s Lounge for letting me participate in the challenge.  My feet really appreciate it!