Cheesecake Factory...ugh

Last week was so busy that every time I thought about posting, something else came up and I had to push it back. Well, here we are nine days later. I got a few runs in last week and a decent 10 miler in on Sunday morning, long story short. The week was cool and dry in the morning, which made my runs in the morning fast and positive. However, a tropical depression came up the cost on Friday and brought two days of rain and wind with it. On the backside of the storm came the tropical humidity that is more typical of July than late September. It made running much more uncomfortable, to be sure. But I got through it and had no ill effects other than some general soreness. 

Monday I took off as planned. I had every intention of getting up this morning and running. In fact, I awoke with Annie around 5:15. However, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory last night and the food did not sit well with me overnight. I woke up several times with stomach pains. This didn't change when I awoke finally at 5:15. I felt slightly nauseous and my stomach still ached a bit. So, I ditched the run and went back to sleep. It was a good decision, as I awoke feeling better and now feel fine in the middle of the day. Needless to say, we won't be going back to Cheesecake Factory anytime soon (we only went because we had company from out of town visiting, otherwise we never eat in the harbor anymore). I forgot how heavy and greasy the food is there and my stomach was not ready for it. 

So, I want to get runs in the rest of the week. I'll be taking my long run on Saturday this week because I'm heading down to Washington on Saturday night to hang out with my step brother, cousins and step dad and won't be back until late Sunday morning or early afternoon. There's little chance of me wanting to do a 10 miler after a night out and train ride back to Baltimore. 

In other exciting news, tonight I am going to see a special showing of Spirit of the Marathon in north Baltimore! It's showing one night only and I talked Annie into letting me go tonight. I've been wanting to see this movie for about a year or so now and I've had two chances to see it before tonight. Both times I either had no access to a car or was otherwise occupied. It's being released on DVD soon, but I was hoping to be able to see it in the theatre before having to risk buying it on DVD and not liking it. I'm so excited to see the movie, especially with the Baltimore Half being just two weeks away. I'm hoping that the movie will inspire me and give me a little more impetus to get up in the mornings and put in the work. The Baltimore Half won't be a PR for me, given my lack of trianing these past months, but I think with high racing season approaching, I can still really work on my times and get some good results. Maybe The Spirit of the Marathon is just what the doctor ordered!

On the racing front, I have registered for the Celtic Solstice in December (one of my favorite races of the year) and the Green Valley North Turkey Trot in November. Together, both races cost me just $30 (30 cents a mile), which I consider a bargain. Now I just need to bite the bullet and register for Richmond before midnight tonight to save $10 on the fee!