First of all, SD Lisa mapped our route. Now Lisa has had a few discrepancies in the past over our routes, which we create through www.mapmyrun.com, usually because she tends to forget exactly what she mapped, so we just run, blindly hoping we're doing roughly what she planned. The website isn't always the easiest to operate either, so that doesn't help…one time Lisa post-mapped a route we had just finished and declared it 8.5 miles, but when I re-mapped it, I came up with 7.9. We're still not sure how many we actually did that day.
We took off from Demens Landing that morning, equipped with brand new hydration belts filled with Gatorade, thinking we were in for an 8.5-mile journey. We circled Albert Whitted Airport, headed up Central Ave. to 9th Street, then returned to Beach Drive, eventually winding down to Northshore…snaking over to Coffee Pot Bayou which we took all the way to the park at 1st Street and 30th Ave., turned back toward downtown by the same route, finding ourselves back at Northshore Pool with over an hour behind us.
After a quick facilities break, we continued back around Vinoy Park with a brisk pre-storm wind endeavoring to force us backward, enticing us to stop and walk. We prevailed, but the whole while, as my feet and legs began to ache in ways they hadn't before, I thought to myself, this has GOT to be more than 8.5 miles. We had already consumed all of our Gatorade, opting to fill our little bottles with water from the drinking fountains just to have something to cool our throats. Having already performed an accidental 8.5 miles, I was beginning to doubt myself. It wasn't this difficult last time, was it?
We stopped, very briefly, at the top of the Pier for water then took off on the home stretch, arriving at our cars in just under two hours. The timing just didn't make sense. We had stopped for a bathroom break, a couple of visits to the water fountain, and a quick round of stretching when everyone's muscles were beginning to fail, but could 8.5 miles really have taken us this long, even with all that?
I wasn't convinced, so upon arriving back at home, I sat down at the computer and entered our exact route into the website. Lo and behold, we had journeyed nearly ten miles! Our next goal was going to be nine, so to have surpassed it by almost a whole mile was pretty exhilarating. Phylis was still at my house, so I announced the news to him, and we did a little collective cheer for our accomplishment. Next, I texted Lisa. I waited to send it until I had checked my calculations one more time, just in case, but I was correct. I hit send and did a little dance in my office. When she texted me back, I knew she was dancing around as well. Everyone had forgotten about our early call time. Our shared awesomeness made everything right — we were rock stars.
So, being that we upped the stakes a little earlier than planned, we have decided to increase our mileage a little slower from here on out. Next stop, the full ten miles. After that, we'll work on a half-mile at a time, and by November 22nd, no Stinky Drinker will be left behind. We'll cross the finish line together — one big thirsty heap of sweaty superstars.
Just a reminder about our first John Hughes tribute fundraiser at Push Lounge in St. Pete, Tuesday, August 25th! Movie starts at sundown, and proceeds from the door will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the name of the Stinky Drinkers!
