Watch Out for Otter-Dogs!

Sunday, January 25, 2009
7:30AM (11.5 Miles)
Wayland Run
Weather: 5F
Conditions: COLD!
Gut Rating: 2
Perfect conditions for a marathon (ha!).
Pace: 10 mph

Karen picked us up at the Chestnut Hill T-stop for our group run. THANK YOU, KAREN! If it hadn't been for Karen, we might've snoozed this morning. We left the house at 6:45AM, grabbed a couple of bagels at Dunks, and hopped onto the T. Karen drove us out to Wayland for our group run this morning. The Town of Wayland did a great job plowing the route. We didn't have to worry about many cars, and it was nice to run outside the city. We were surrounded on all sides by wildlife preserves, so the scenery was beautiful. Most of the DFMC team ran ahead of us, while Kay and I led the back of the pack. I used to try to keep up with my teammates, but I find that I feel much better if I run at my own pace. It's difficult to keep up with the Dana-Farber Kenyans, but it's comforting knowing that others (no matter how fast) are out there at the same time and running for the same reasons. Together, we run.

The first water stop was located at the 3.2 mile mark. I found it amusing that it was located on Water Row. Not sure if anyone else noticed that? Kay and I pressed on towards the second water stop. I stopped to give Roy a hug at the Lincoln Sudbury HS before we braved the icy sidewalk for a couple of minutes. The street signs were really funny today! We ran past Frost Lane -- how appropriate considering Kay's water bottle froze! I seem to have the strange ability to keep my water from freezing! More to come re: my super power! We turned around just before the 6 mile mark, and headed back.

On the way back, Kay had to PEE! And I mean PEE! There was no stopping this girl. She sprinted ahead of me, and I've never seen her run so fast. She contemplated going behind a couple of trees, but decided to hold it. We arrived back at the High School, but all the doors were locked. She almost went behind a snowbank until we noticed all of the parked cars near the gym. SUCCESS! We ran down the stairs (literally) and through the school (literally). We ran straight into the bathroom because we didn't want to lose any mileage or give our muscles time to cool down. Then, we ran through the school hallways and we followed the hockey team out of the school. We actually accompanied them on their long run for a few minutes.

We wound our way back to the water stop, where we enjoyed Gatorade slush puppies and frozen peanut M&Ms. Let me tell you, those were the best M&Ms and slushes we've ever had in our entire lives! THANK YOU DFMC volunteers! I always worry about the DFMC volunteers because they have the harder job out there. The runners are able to stay warm because we're moving, but the DFMC volunteers must FREEZE! They always take good care of us, and they are never without a smile!

We only had three miles to go after the water stop. It was then that we had to watch out for otter-dogs. There were "wildlife crossing" signs posted along the route, and there was a picture of an animal on each one of them. The problem, however, was that we couldn't tell what kind of animal it was. It had the head of an otter and the legs and tail of a dog. Watch out for otter-dogs! You bet I would be running fast if an otter-dog came out of the woods. Sigh. The things that keep you preoccupied during a long run can be semi-outrageous sometimes! At least we have a good time out there and make the best of the cold weather!

After we finished our long run, we went flyer dropping on Newbury Street. I am so ready to crash for the evening and it's only 8pm. Well, goodnight readers!

P.S. I have received almost 19,000 hits on my blog!!! If I only had one dollar for every one of those hits!! I would surpass my fundraising goal! If you are reading my blog, please take the time to sponsor my run sometime this week at http://www.rundfmc.org/katyc2009. Your support is greatly appreciated as I press on towards my $10,000 fundraising goal!



FUN FACTS: (since October 20, 2008):
Total Miles Logged: 196.0
Total Time Running: 35:30:00
Total Time Crosstraining: 00:30:00

MONTHLY MILEAGE:
Total Miles Logged October: 9
Total Miles Logged November: 41.5
Total Miles Logged December: 61
Total Miles Logged January: 84.5

MONTHLY CROSSTRAINING:
Total Hours October: 00:30:00
Total Hours November: 00:00:00
Total Hours December: 00:00:00