Wichita - Who woulda thunk it?

Last we spoke was Monday evening.
I worked Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday, was a great day. I woke up early and peeled myself out of bed to run before work. I think I was out there at around 5:30 am, so I needed toothpicks to keep my eyelids open! Flashbacks from those early morning Army wake-ups . . . but I said I'd do it, right?

I left the heart monitor inside and just ran with my Little Apple Shuffle. I completed one-loop around Memorial Park. From my house, the round trip is about 5.6 miles. A good way to start the day! After cleaning up, I headed right up to work. The drive to work was normal . . not that it is generally exciting anyway.

It was a pretty full day of flying - unlike the last few trips, the weather was fine, so everything went smooth. I had five flights for the day and finished in Wichita, Kansas at around 8:00 p.m.

It was still light outside, and we were staying at the Broadway Hotel right on the Arkansas River. There is a great running trail along the edge of the river, so in an attempt to "go the extra mile", I grabbed my Shuffle and running shoes for a quick jog on the boardwalk. It was really enjoyable. The weather was warm and humid, but still comfortable, and there was a lot of activity along the river. I ran towards the north (yes, the sun was setting to my left), and had the nicest run. Nothing fast, but the trees hanging over the sidewalk and the "gas-electric" lanterns made it feel like I was running along the Charles River in Boston. I am so glad I went.

There was also a real impressive gold Indian statue sandwiched between some modern-looking cable bridges crossing the river. The bridges were all lit up in various colors creating a very warm picture. While I was running under one of the bridges, I heard a large BOOM. I didn't think much of it, until I turned around and started running back towards the hotel. As I approached the bridges from the north, there were three LARGE buckets of fire in front of the Indian statue - sort of water based TIKI torches. The BOOM must have been the lighting ceremony, because there were people everywhere taking photos of the scene. When I say everywhere, I mean people standing in the shallow part of the river too! It was really pretty neat. A snapshot of a Tuesday night in Midwestern America! :32 Minutes of running described in :45 minutes of writing.

Wednesday was a zippo exercise day. Work had me going early and through most of the afternoon. Once I arrived home, I changed clothes and met Andrea at our birthing class.
We finished up after 9:00 p.m. and I was looking forward to some rest!

Thursday started with an hour riding on the trainer watching the Tour de France. Sad news to hear of the doping usage during the race. Those riders are basically doing an Ironman ride every day for three weeks. How do they do it? It's amazing. It's such a shame to think some are not doing it with their God-given talent alone. Even more impressive, Lance Armstrong completed it, and won it SEVEN times after battling cancer. Do just ONE six-hour bike ride and tell me his accomplishments are not utterly amazing.

Full disclosure: I am a regular coffee drinker, so there is usually caffeine in my blood . . . . but it is MY blood!

I am going to sign off and go for a run. Our dog Paxton is also telling me I better take him outside too.

Tomorrow should be a good training day, although I have to work in the late afternoon. I will try to train all three sports. Next month, things will be less frequent but more specific to the longer distances.

I can't wait to see my Mother-in-Law Julie this weekend - so, Julie, if you'r reading, we'll see you soon!!!

KONASPEED!!