I've been on vacation this week in Wisconsin and have been fortunate enough to run four times. Tomorrow I'll be flying back to KC, so my running time in WI has come to an end. It's been fun and it'll be sad to go back to the regular routes back home. I ran a trail by the river that goes through town, which is everything my regular runs are not - flat, shaded, and dirt. What a treat.
The first run was last Friday morning with The Wife and nephew Zac. We ran only 3 miles since Zac had to be at work within an hour of our start time. It was a nice introduction to the path and a great day for running.
On Saturday I went and ran by myself, intending to go 10 miles. Again it was a great day for running. The sun was intermittent and the temperature was perfect. I momentarily lost the path when I got to a smaller town at the three-mile mark, but doubled back and picked it up again. However, when I reached the four-mile marker things started to change. I saw a sign signifying a wildlife area, which in this case meant a swamp off to the right of the path and no sign of the river on the left. In other words, breeding ground for mosquitoes. I couldn't go two steps without swarming bugs around my head. I quickly grew tired of this, as well as a little frustrated, and turned back. My run topped out at 8 miles due to the bugs. I hate to be defeated by the little critters, but I'll admit it, it's no fun to try and run while being swarmed.
On Monday The Wife and Daughter #1 ran for a couple of miles while Zac and I went a full 6 miles. Once again the weather was overcast but nice. It was a good easy run and Zac did great, especially since he hadn't run that far in a long time.
Today we took everybody - 12 people and a dog. The rain had poured down overnight and the day was humid, moreso than yesterday. Zac and I took off and ran a mile warmup followed by a four-mile tempo run at 8:30 pace. We finished with a mile of cooldown. That was my first speed work in I can't remember how long, and Zac said it was definitely a tougher run than yesterday. It was cool to run with him and he kept up with this old man. Maybe I was even holding him back. That's 23 miles total while I've been here, which is pretty good for a vacation. After today's run I made sure everyone got a bottle of sports drink for their efforts. Tomorrow it's back home to the good ol' hot weather, hills, and no shade. I guess I've been spoiled a little bit this week, but isn't that what vacations are all about?
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