new week, new record...

Today I ran 16m for the first time. I'm so glad this coming week is a step back week...the long run will only be 12, so that'll be a nice relief. Elizabeth met me in Solon at 7 and rode her bike while I ran a 4m warm up. Totally awesome of her, since I know biking at 6.1m/hour isn't quite a workout. :) Then, we ran a 12m loop around Solon starting at 8. It was a nice run, although I got a nasty side stitch for the last couple of miles. I hate that, because it makes me want to cry in pain, but it feels so lame since it's not muscular or even cardiovascular...just LAME! I have to figure out what works for me as far as getting through it. I think just forgetting about it, mainly. Unfortunately, that's not always so easy. Bill Wagner ran the last 6m with us, and took us on some trails, which was a nice relief from the sun. I did the whole thing at about a 9:20 pace, which is about the norm for me. Again, nice of Elizabeth to take it easy with me and run more slowly...she's supposed to be tapering for Chicago tri next weekend, but still...I know there were times when her legs were itching to go faster, but she still stayed with me. Good friend, eh?

Natasha gets back into town this Wednesday...I'm excited to see her again. It's been about 4 months...the longest I've ever gone without seeing her since freshman year, I do believe. It'll be nice to have a next door neighbor as a best friend again. :) Jojo lives down the street now...just .3 of a mile, so hopefully I'll still see her quite a bit, but it'll still be different than being roommates, obviously. But, I guess everything is different now...perhaps it's for the better. This is the first August of my 'waking' life that I'm not going back to school. Kind of odd...I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I am really glad my students are slowly trickling back into town because it'll get my routine back to something more regular. Plus, I miss not seeing them every week!

I got a phone call from my sister saying she tried to undo a perm she had gotten...and now her hair is fried. Anyone have any suggestions on repair? I told her she should just use this opportunity to shave her head and start again...I don't know that she liked that idea though...