A Rainy 16 Miles in Tallahassee

Four Very Important Lessons I Learned on my 16 Mile Run This Morning:

1. Always know your route before you leave for your run. Relying on your fuzzy memory of neighborhoods in the dark will get you very lost.
2. Tallahassee has HILLS. Orlando does not. Enough said.
3. Running in the rain actually isn’t that bad.
4. If you are going back and forth on running with in a jacket, chances are you really don’t need the jacket.

When I naturally awoke this morning at 4:30am to the sound of rain outside the first thought I had was “Please, please stop before my run in an hour.” The rain gods decided to meet me halfway. It wasn’t a full on rain, but there was definitely that light rain mist in the air at the start of my run that lasted on and off for the duration.

The rain created a dark hazey fog that stalled the sun from properly rising and letting light fill the sky. The first half of my run was very dark and not even 2 miles in I got lost. I was running an old route I used to run all the time when i lived in Tallahassee, but somewhere along the way I made a right when I should have made a left and got lost in the darkness of a neighborhood I was now unfamiliar for.

For the first time I actually felt afraid on an early morning run and felt trapped. I had my cellphone with me and knew Derek was only a phone call away or I could GPS myself out of there. Eventually I did find my way out and ended up in a completely different area then I was expecting. I didn’t even know those roads connected!

From that point of the run on I stayed away from the neighborhoods and stuck to familiar main roads to guide me where i needed to go. The rest of the run was a breeze and despite the monstrous hills I had to attack the majority of the way, I felt great!

Before I left for the run I ate this very large Promax Bar that the company had sent me to review for the blog.

For the last week I have been quartering the Promax Bar and eating a quarter before my daily runs. I intend to have a full review up sometime next week, but I will have to say eating this bar before my run was great. It was very filling, but not so much so where it gave me stomach aches and it kept me full of energy for all 16 miles.

After my run I snuck in to out hotel breakfast buffet and found an Apple to nibble on while I packed up.

Derek and I finished packing, loaded up the car, and met one of my old college roommates and high school friend, Jordan, for breakfast at Canopy Road.

Jordan and I have known each other since we were two, but we didn’t become BFFs until we both ended up at FSU. Jordan stayed in Tallahassee after she earned her degree and is now an RN at the local hospital.

She works crazy hours (7:00 pm – 7:00 am) so its hard to keep in touch, but I am glad I got to see her while I was in town. I think the last time I saw her was a year ago this month!

Jordan and I during our brief stint as roommates circa 2005.

Jordan and I this morning circa 2009.

Canopy Road is a hole in the wall restaurant that focuses on breakfast and lunch. I was very tempted by the Sweet Potato Pancakes on the menu, but when I asked the waitress how they were and she told me they are good if you enjoy sugar I knew hey may be a tad rich for my liking.

Instead I had the Pancakes Combo Meal that came with two pancakes topped with strawberries, 2 scrambled eggs, and a side of fruit in place of the meat option of the meal.

I demolished it all and then proceeded to steal Derek’s country potatoes and ate 1/4 of Jordan’s omlette. I was a very hungry girl after running those 16 miles this morning!

After breakfast we headed out of Tallahassee. Derek was a trooper and drove while I passed out in the passenger’s seat.

We stopped in Gainesville for a quick lunch at McCalister’s.

I really wanted the Sweetberry Chicken, but its not on the menu anymore. Instead I used the ‘Build Your Own Sandwich’ option on the board to recreate my own version of the sandwich.

Harvest Wheat Bread, Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Tomato, Lettuce, Onion, and Roasted Red Peppers.

With a side of fruit.

I ate half the sandwich and am saving the other half for later.

I am going to press publish on this post when we reach Ocala. That is where Derek and I will separate and I will have to pick my car up to complete the journey to Orlando on my own. Boooo….

I am looking forward to picking Maddie up from my Sister’s. Apparently she hasn’t been on her best behavior this weekend and really misses her Mommy.

Don’t worry Maddie, Mommy is on her way!