Day 290

• 3.74 miles
• 8:01/mile pace
• 0700
• From/To Pat and Kathryn's house -- Mount Pleasant, SC
• Another easy/slow run.   Really amazed at the humidity...I lived in Mt. P for 5 years and just didn't remember sweating so much....I didn't run much then though, so...

Day 291

• 14.51 miles
• 8:27/mile pace
• 0625
• From/To Pat and Kathryn's -- Mt. Pleasant, SC
• Long very slow run that turned out to be MUCH tougher than I could've imagined.   I'm not sure if it was a dehydration issue resulting from the shocking amount of sweat loss the humidity contributed too -- I can honestly say that I have never finished a run as through and through wet as I was, excepting runs that involved rain or sprinklers -- or if it was due to fatigue brought on by the day at the beach followed by kyacking on Saturday, but by the end of the run I was dry heaving and wondering what in the world happened to me.   It was actually kind of weird, but I was happy to have finished the mileage and OK with the pace considering the last mile was painfully slow...literally.   Best news was that once I had some liquid and food in me I felt just fine...the slow speed even seemed to save my legs as I didn't feel nearly as tired as I usually do after a run of 10+ miles, which is fortunate because we had quite a fun day planned with friends going out on the boat etc.
• Multi-sport:   Loosely associated with this running streak, I used to kinda half consider myself a multi-sport guy in relation to endurance sports...I'll always consider myself a multi-sport guy in relaiton to appreciating/enjoying sports, but that's a different topic completely.   Well, it seems that Charleston, SC brings out my interest in multi-sport endurance events in special ways...I did my very first dual sport effort in Charleston years ago, in a neighborhood called "I'on" in an event called "I'on man."   I still have and wear the t-shirt regularly...the event was 3/4 of a mile swim around a lake followed by a 5k and I was barely able to move for the 3 days following the event due to exhaustion, but I was proud to be an "I'on man."   So, now, fast forward about 5 or 6 years to present day and I've done a few triathlon's and then basically given up multi-sport events in favor of the much easier to schedule running streak, but having been to Charleston, SC I thought about multi-sport a little bit.
• Flip flops:   Even less associated, I thought I'd share this little story with you -- so, as mentioned above, after the long run (sorry, I'm trying to tie them together, though there will be no running in the rest of this text), the whole Phoenix Wein family went out with our friends on the Stono River in/around the Charleston, SC area.   It was fantastic and helped by the fact that we have relatives in the area who could lend me stuff, like the flip flops I borrowed from my cousin's wife.   They fit well and were very functional...note the past tense, which I will now explain.   OK, so, our friends live in this amazing house with a view of the marshlands and river, but they also have their own pond/lake in their backyard, which looks very cool and got me thinking about how awesome it would be if I were able to swim every day as easily, potentially even more easily, than running every day -- the pond is maybe a half acre total surface space and shaped a bit like an oval, with the short side being north south from their back door (short side being about 40-45 yards across, length being 70-75 yards long/across),   So, with that in mind I asked my friend "How deep is your lake?"   He said he didn't know, which I thought was amazing since I was certain I would know if I lived there, but he estimated 4 to 5 feet deep because he said it was man made etc.   Well, that estimate didn't really satisfy me because if it wasn't that deep then how could I swim my laps reliably, right?   Anyway, I told him after we got off the boat I would wade out there and check it out for him...and to satisfy my curiousity, of course.   He said that would be cool -- so, after returning from our day on the river, he and his wife went to take the boat out of the water, Becca took the boys into our friends house to get them cleaned up for the trip back to our cousins house and I put my cousin-in-laws flip flops back on to wade out into the lake, since I was concerned there would be sharp stuff on the bottom etc. and then proceeded to begin my depth charting mission.  Here are the results (starting directely from the back of their house -- so, the bisecting the length of the pond/lake):
• First 5 feet from shore:   1 to 2 feet deep
• 5 to 10 fee from shore:   4-5 feet deep
• 10 yards from shore:       6 feet deep   
• 20 yards from the shore:  6.5 feet deep (this is what I consider the dead center of the lake/pond)
• OK, so, obviously, at this point I'm swimming/treading water since I'm only 5'8.5" tall, but it is warm and comfortable, so I figured I'd continue to perform depth charting further along the length to make sure it was uniform depth and because dropping down under the water, letting my flip flopped feet touch the bottom and then resurfacing couldn't be any easier, so why not? -- Well, because after doing the 2nd additional depth checking decent I was treading water facing away from the house towards some marsh grass (2 feet tallish weeds) when honest to God a freakin alligator launched itself straight at me into the water from about 25 feet away resulting in me setting the world record for unaided swim speed while also firing off Hail Mary's at a clip that only priests, nuns and those of us who spent 16 years in Catholic school could possibly replicate.   There is absolutely NO WAY that Michael Phelps could've beat me to the shore, I cannot be convinced otherwise.  I seriously have never been so scared, for my life, in my life.   Upon reaching the shore and sprinting out of the water the much smaller than I originally thought, and infinitely smaller than he will be in every retelling of this story that I author, alligator was circling my cousin-in-laws flip flops in the center of the water.  Hearing my exasperated announcement of "Gator!" Becca then came out to see my adversary and estimates it to be 3 and a half feet long, which I guess technically is correct.   So, obviously, I'm thinking, since I easily set the world speed record for swimming, I should get back into multi-sport endurance events again, right?!  

Day 222

• 3.13 miles
• 8:03/mile pace
• 0650
• From/To home
• Relaxed run, getting pretty hot out and seemed a bit more humid than usual, but not a hard enough run to be any real issue.   Tight from yestereday, probably caused by walking all around the zoo pushing Case and Finn, that's actually a pretty good workout.

Day 147

• 4+ miles
• Fast/hard (estimating 7:30/mi pace or better, ran for 30:52 hard)
• 0630
• San Juan, PRI
• Wasn't motivated to push it at all today, committed myself to just cruising for 30 minutes, decided while riding down the elevator that doing so was plenty, I am afterall in the taper stage of Becca's marathon plan, walked out the front door of my Holiday Inn Express, took two steps and saw a runner off in the distance that looked reasonably fit, but not running too fast and next thing I know I have decided that I must catch and pass them, but who knows when they may turn, so better do so quickly....it didn't take even half a mile, but once I start running fast I don't like to slow down and since I also don't like to run the same pace for very long that only leaves one option.   Glad I got a hard effort in this week, just wish I had a better idea of how far and how fast I went even though I know that knowing may be a disappointment.   Anyway, I will miss my ocean view runs and the teal water etc., but I am still very much looking forward to getting home.   Off to Miami, FL for next 2 days first, not out of the humidity yet.

Day 146

• 5+ miles
• 8:30/mi pace (estimate)
• 0625
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Proud of myself for getting up early enough to do this -- didn't feel like running hard, didn't wake up early enough to run far.   Humidity is always surprising to me, which in itself is surprising to me considering that I grew up in it...being rained on basically has zero affect when it is as humid as it is.  

Day 139

• 4.35 miles
• 8:03/mi pace
• 0710
• Guangzhou, PRC
• Treadmill, 1% incline; 7k distance.   This one nearly killed me, seriously, it felt like an absurd speedwork session...not sure what it was, the humidity or jet lag?   Anyway, I was glad to have finished it and I felt good the whole rest of the day, so guess it wasn't too hard...well and I had the normal INCREDIBLE breakfast buffet that named hotels in Asia.   I honestly believe breakfast buffets in Asia are the greatest meal experience on earth, they simply have to be.