Running in a sauna on a roller coaster.

Where in the U.S.A.....

Some things to fill you all in on.

First, I recently made the move from Corvallis, OR to St. Louis, MO.

Why? Please choose from the following options.

A) I had a strong desire to follow Lewis and Clark's route in reverse.

B) I really wanted to eat toasted ravioli.
C) I got a new job.

So, the first thing I did when I got in town (after meeting the movers and checking out a few bike shops)... you guessed it, I signed up for a race!  The Lewis and Clark 1/2 marathon.  See, I told you I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark!  The race isn't until the first week in October.  That gives me close to three months to acclimate, and I am going to need every minute.

Starting off, it took four running attempts to complete a 45 min run without walking/ gasping for air/ and generally pooling sweat in my running shoes.  Then, I had to tackle the challenge of a long run.  In Oregon (and Colorado) I could run without water for 1:30.  Here, I'm searching out drinking fountains and throwing myself on the mercy of ice machines in gas stations after only 30!  And the hills... Dude, in Colorado and Oregon, you run up "hill".  In Missouri, it feels like I am running on a roller coaster!  All that aside, I thought I had it figured out by last week-end.  But, red wine and steak and late conversations with some new friends literally derailed my roller coaster car.  It's to bad to.   I actually found some single-track.  And get this, it circled around behind Six Flags Over Mid-America.   Throughout one mile of the "run" I was accompanied by gleeful screams, screeching rails, and metallic clangs.

And then, I faced silence, and heat, and the reality that I was not yet acclimated.  And I hate to admit this... my worst run in a long time.

9 more weeks to acclimate.  I'll try again this week-end with a 12-mile run.  Who's with me?!